Desires
by lezonne
Summary: Tired of watching the same domino effect happen amongst their friends, Hermione and Draco team up to become relationship gods. The only problem is, they might get a bit distracted along the way... HG X DM, HP X LL, BZ X GW, RW X LB. Possible lemon(s) in the future. Multi-chaptered request story.
1. Reunion

**Disclaimer: **Belongs to J.K Rowling

**Idea Dedication**_:_ Written on request by **ChloeDracoMalfoy **and based around her idea.

**A/n: **Hello there readers! Here's a request story I was asked to do. The ending was not decided for me so I'm not sure how long of a story this will be. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy it. Follow me on my facebook by going through the link on my profile, and I hope you enjoy this story as well. It has been interesting to write for sure :D This story has a beta now and was edited by **Tessa Cresswell** as of 11/29/2012.

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She fidgeted nervously, brushing already perfectly styled blond hair from her ears again and again. She was nervous, hoping that tonight he would ask her to dance, but that was only a hope, one that would be fulfilled if _his_ crush again danced with that Italian Slytherin.

"You should just dance with Seamus," Hermione said, watching her friend stress. This had been going on for months now, and it was a sad spectacle to witness. Luna looked so pretty in her dress, her hair pulled half back in a difficult up do. She wore tinges of make up for the first time Hermione could remember, and she knew it was because she desired the boy's attention. If only he would treat her right.

Luna looked up, her eyes having been focused on him again. "Pardon?"

Hermione sighed. "Nothing." _It's going to be a long night._

It had been a long five years. After the war the Ministry had to start from scratch, with so many of the former employee's having been killed. England was finally beginning to come together again, the madness having ceased when the newest (and hopefully last) round of Death Eater's were caught and kissed by Dementor's. Now after five long years, the residents of England could start living their own lives again. And to commend the occasion, Hogwarts had decided to hold reunions for the seventh years; a five year reunion.

It was smaller than one would hope. There were a lot of memorable faces that no longer existed in the crowd, people who had fought and died for a cause. The event was lively, but not as much as it could be. The former students were humbled, reminded of all the things they had once gone through.

Ron was there someplace amidst the crowd, his wife Lavender with him. Hermione and Ron had broken off their relationship together just after the war, and since Hermione knew they were not meant to be, Ron had gone on to Lavender. Now they had been married for four years, and had a daughter. They were not the only ones in the crowd who had been hitched either; many couples had brought their children along, proudly introducing them to former classmates.

Even the Slytherin's were in the spirit of things. For the graduated students, house placement was not such a big deal anymore. Everyone had lost someone; everyone understood their peer's pain a bit better. But of course, there were the exceptions.

People like Draco Malfoy, for instance, who were still running around as bachelors. He had sauntered into the Great Hall ages ago, that classic smirk on his face and the few top buttons of his shirt undone. For being twenty three, he looked good. He had grown into himself, let his fringe get longer, and had filled out his lanky frame. The once skinny git was now a head turning stud. Even Hermione couldn't deny that he looked great- no matter how much it bothered her. All of the single women had been watching him since he made his appearance.

Shifting her gaze again from the blond man, her eyes fell on Ginny. Ginny, the fiery redhead was currently across the room, giggling like a moron at something else her ridiculous boyfriend had said. Hermione didn't particularly know Blaise Zabini well, but she did know that he had a knack for toying with her heart. Whenever she disappointed him he would shove her to the side, and she would go running right back into Harry's open arms. And when Zabini owled her saying that she was forgiven, she would break away from Harry and go right back to him, thinking he wouldn't shove her to the side again. But he always did, and the girl was too love-struck to notice his game. She was a toy, a possession in his mind; something that could easily be replaced.

It was this chain of events that eventually got back to Luna. Hermione knew the girl's feelings towards Harry had developed over the years, and had grown substantially since the war ended and he stayed near to comfort her when her father was announced dead. But Harry was naïve and never noticed. Whenever Ginny turned her back on him he went to Luna- not because of an emotional tie- but to talk out his problems with her until the cycle repeated. What was only friendship to Harry was so much more to Luna, and it tore her apart each time that he so easily went back to the ginger who wouldn't love him. For Hermione, it was a painful process to watch between her friends.

And low and behold, look who was coming up to them.

"Harry," Luna said, obviously trying to smother her excitement, "What brings you over?" He had just been speaking with Ron, who was now holding his daughter Susan as he spoke with Seamus, the boy Hermione had attempted to suggest to Luna to dance with.

He sighed, sitting beside them in one of the chairs. Inclining his head in the general direction of Ginny and Blaise, the message rang clear. "She came to talk to me a minute ago."

"About what," the blond asked, sitting up in her chair. Hermione watched her fidget in her chair, trying to figure out what to do with herself. She withheld a sigh, tired of watching Luna do this to herself. If Harry's interests were elsewhere, then why did she have to stay around waiting for him? She could do better; she could find someone who was not stuck in this continuous pattern.

"She wanted to know if Ron and I cared to come sit with her and Blaise. Can you believe her? Why would I want to do that when she obviously knows how I feel?" He threw his hands up. "She is so inconsiderate sometimes."

_You're preaching to the choir Harry. _The brunette's eyes slid over to her friend, whose expression had dropped a degree. Setting her drink down, the Gryffindor stood. "I need another drink." She didn't wait for the duo to reply, and simply hurried off. It was awkward sitting with them, and she just needed to give them some space. If only they would just open their eyes, things among the friends would be so much simpler.

There were assorted snacks and beverages to chose from up at the table since there was minimal food on the tables guests sat at, but Hermione could only be grateful that she had yet to grab a glass. Picking a cup, she chose wine to hopefully soothe her nerves, before downing half the glass.

"It's a shame they invited your kind back," a voice drawled, and she glanced over to meet slate eyes, eyes that seemed to be trying to penetrate her soul. She rolled her eyes at his comment, and didn't even grace her old enemy with her full attention.

"I could say the same about you."

The blond, someone she had not been in close quarters with in nearly five years, chuckled. She watched him as he did so, unsure what to think about his mannerisms. Five years was a long time in the aftermath of war, and unfortunately it didn't seem to have done anything to help Draco Malfoy enter the twenty-first century. Sure wizards and witches were set in an older time frame of mind, but he was prehistoric. Many racists were now dead, but Draco Malfoy stood above the small sea of people who still turned their noses up at anything impure. He resided in a group of people who were quickly becoming extinct, and unless the few remaining families planned on incestrial marriages soon, there were few options left for them except foreign relations. With such a downgraded population, there were not nearly enough candidates for one's spouse, a task many had found difficult to complete. Hermione was one of them, and was still riding solo in the world, just like the ignorant bachelor before her. It disgusted her that she now lay in such a similar situation with Malfoy, yet they were so different.

"Ouch Granger," he said, placing a hand drastically upon his chest, "That tactful comeback has certainly hurt my pride."

She rolled her eyes, ignoring his sarcasm. She had not come here today to be bothered by this blond buffoon. "Malfoy, can't you go run off with one of the women who have been chasing your sorry arse since you arrived? They obviously can ignore your true colors, so why don't you bother one of them? At least they won't be trying to ignore you. Now I really have better things to do with my time." Flipping sleek brunette waves over her shoulder, she turned to go.

"Granger, do I even have to point out to you why all those women are single still?" She could hear it in his voice, the teasing tone that was so smug, so sure that he was bothering her that he didn't even hide it. Giving into child animosity, she turned with her drink still in her hand, glaring him down.

"Is it because they are not impartial to any one man and sleep around, or perhaps it is their high squeaky voices that grate on a man's nerves? Don't play me a fool Malfoy; I have eyes and ears of my own. Those girls are constantly running around making fools of themselves, causing scandals throughout the papers. They sound perfect for you actually; loose and careless."

The composed expression on the blond's face dropped a degree. Her responses no longer lacked their common vigor, and it was obvious that she said all of this in hopes of brushing him off to go brood with another drink. He could see it deep in her almond eyes, the desire to be rid of him. But that was the only problem; there were no masks up, and he could read her like an open book. Without the shields around to protect her, he could clearly see her irritation, and if he did not take advantage of the situation and vibe off of it he would not be his usual self.

"A least there is someone perfect for me," he drawled, sipping his own glass. "Unlike you Mudblood- even the Weasel took a step up from you to Lavender Brown. All your friends are going on with their lives, yet you seem unable to even find yourself a date here." As her mouth opened to retort, he waved his hand. "And I did come here with a date by the way; we are just no longer together. I found her kissing some Ravenclaw dolt that works at St. Mungo's in the corridor and dumped her. She's probably off with someone else by now."

Hermione blinked as she took in the news. Had this been a girlfriend of his, she would expect him to be fiery mad, but he was brushing the entire topic off. Obviously, it was not a concern of his, and this girl meant nothing to him. It was appalling to think about how careless Malfoy was with his relationships.

Someone bumped her from behind and she stumbled in the tall platforms, falling into Malfoy. A sneer overtook his features as he shoved her off, nearly causing her to fall in the other direction. As she straightened herself, she looked around. Who was being so pushy today? The answer came to her as she saw Ginny storming out the Hall's doors, catching more than a bit of attention in her exit. The brunette sighed before looking in the other direction to spot an angry looking Blaise, an annoyed Harry and a distraught Luna. There went any sort of peaceful setting.

"Weasley's sister is still grasping at straws with Blaise I see," Draco said from her side, but she didn't look at him. When no response from the Gryffindor came, he continued on with what he had been saying. "She realizes Blaise is heartless, right? He doesn't know how to love anyone or anything, so it's beyond me why she bothers. Wouldn't it be easier to just put all her feelings for him behind her and move onto Potter? At least the dolt seems to care."

His words startled her, and she finally looked back. It almost sounded like the Italian was disgusted with how Blaise played with hearts, but that was absurd when he did the exact same thing. But it was odd to hear that Malfoy thought Ginny should remain with Harry, when he very well hated the boy. And besides that, Luna would be heartbroken if the two became a couple. Ginny and Luna were her best friends, and it was so hard to watch them share affections for the same man.

"Are you actually trying to sound compassionate Malfoy," she said at last.

He raised an eyebrow. "I don't do compassion Granger; I am merely pointing out the cycle I see. Have you so quickly forgotten that I am Zabini's friend, and I more often than not hear about his woes? I know where the ginger runs to whenever he hurts her feelings." He smirked, the smug expression immediately setting her on edge once more. "I also know that your ditzy friend over there desires the attention of Scarhead." He pointed in the direction of Luna, who was now sitting with Neville and another new addition to the Hogwarts staff- someone she presumed he was seeing- but the girl was looking at neither of them, and instead playing with something on her almost barren plate. "It's a shame that everyone falls ill to the domino effect in this situation, isn't it?"

"Don't presume you know anything about my friends," she snapped, clenching and unclenching her hands once. "You know nothing about their feelings, nor what goes on in their minds. Why don't you just leave my friends to me, and you can continue to speak to Zabini about the newest methods he can use to again break someone's heart!"

She turned then, not waiting for a response. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a tuft of red hair, and realized Ron had been about to come over and intervene in their conversation. That was an unneeded measure really, for she could handle herself. Besides, making a scene was the last thing she wanted to do.

With her back turned, she never saw the git smirk; lifting his glass to his lips once more.

* * *

A few weeks passed with nothing happening. Hermione's thoughts were constantly haunted at work by the blond idiot and his words to her; they kept ringing in her head. But why did they bother her so much? She didn't know.

It was over lunch at a café one day that Luna snapped her thoughts to other things. "Blaise and Ginny are together again."

She almost choked on her drink. She had spoken with Ginny after the reunion, wondering what her so-called boyfriend had done now to upset her. Apparently, he had spent a good deal of their time together that night flirting with other women. This wasn't uncommon with Blaise Zabini, but it just made her wonder why Ginny kept going back to him. He never laid a hand on her, that much was true, but he still mistreated her.

She supposed it was that way with all Slytherin's, although she had only been in close quarters with a few in recent years. They all seemed to have this need to have more than one person at a time, but were always disappointed when said person left them. Although Ginny was an exception in this play since she always returned to Blaise, many people did not return after the first breakup. Hermione could only wonder how long Ginny would let him drag her across the ground.

"She can do better," Hermione replied, shoving her drink away to work at her salad again. She didn't want to look at Luna just then.

"Harry wanted me to go with him to dinner tonight," she continued, shoving her own food around on her plate. "It's the same restaurant that Ginny and Blaise are going to, so you can imagine why he is taking me. I only hope he doesn't start screaming at the Italian again- you know what happened the last time he did."

Hermione nodded grimy, having been told the tale hours after it occurred, with both Ginny and Luna appearing at her house fighting mad because of what went on. Blaise kept his usual habits up, bothering Ginny, and Harry and Luna who had been on the opposite side of the restaurant had seen it all. Harry had been horrified by the way he treated her while on a date, and made his opinion known. The girls had just been glad that nothing broke out into a fight, just a heated screaming match. Both girls had been angry, but Hermione noted Luna's reactions more. Not only had Harry stood her up on their "date" he had done so to defend the girl he really cared for. It was a heavy blow to the blond, one that was not easily forgotten.

"I do," she replied when she realized Luna wasn't even looking at her. "Just don't go- don't keep dragging yourself after Harry. If Harry wants to let himself get dragged through the dirt because he can't stop chasing Ginny, then that is his problem. There are plenty of other fish in the sea. What about Neville? He's quite kind."

"And taken," the former Ravenclaw sighed, shoving her food away. "I just don't understand what he sees in her! She is head over heels for that Slytherin prick- why doesn't he see that? Why does he keep making me be his date- why can't you be it?"

The brunette raised an eyebrow. "That would just make everything harder Luna; the complicated triangle the three of you have unwillingly created would only become more complex if you added me in. I prefer to stay out of this, thank you."

Luna sighed, tapping her fingers against the table. "You know how I feel about Harry- I really do like him- but I can't just keep being his rebound. And I know this date is just another ploy to make sure Zabini respects her. He won't even look at me the entire time." Her face lit up then as an idea occurred to her, and Hermione found herself uneasy as the girl clasped her hands together. "Oh, I know! You can come along! That way when Harry decides to get up and intervene, we can just leave and do whatever we want!"

"Ginny-"

"We could go clubbing! Oh Hermione, it's been forever since we went out. Don't you think it would be fun? And this way I don't have to just go to your place and cry, because you can just take me out to have fun. Oh, doesn't that sound marvelous! Yes, what do you say?"

Hermione was a bit stunned by the girl's sudden idea, and only stared for several moments. She could not be seriously thinking about dragging her along as a third wheel. And she could only imagine what Ginny would say- that redhead was always overreacting, and Hermione knew she would come up with some ridiculous scenario to explain why Hermione came with Luna and not herself. And on top of that, the ginger would probably be horrified that she came along as a third-wheel instead of with her own date.

But the excited gleam in Luna's eyes kept her from telling her it was a stupid idea. She really did want to go with Harry as his date; Hermione could see it, even though it was an awful idea. But she couldn't tell Luna that, not as she looked on at her with hope. Hermione would be able to ease the blow of another rejection, and although that was not how she wanted to spend her night she already knew what she was going to say.

"When is it," Hermione asked weakly, waving the waiter over. She was going to need a drink- and fast.

Luna gasped and reached across the table to throw her arms around the brunette. Hermione could only pat her on the back until she let go, hoping her actions came across as sincere. "Oh thank you Hermione! It's this Friday, seven o'clock. I'll let Harry know you are coming!" Jumping excitedly at the prospect of not being left alone, Luna grabbed her bag and quickly waved goodbye to her friend, skipping out the door. As the waiter came over to see what she wanted, Hermione allowed her head to fall and hit the table.

_Why did I just agree to this madness? _

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**A/n: **So let me know what you thought! Also, this story will be in need of a beta! I hope it won't be too lengthy, so any takers? Let me know in a PM or review!


	2. Overcrowded Dinner

**A/n:** Chapter two, so keep those reviews up ;) Thanks to my new beta **Tessa Cresswell** for fixing this chapter as of 12/11/2012! Now enjoy the chapter :D

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Draco watched the Italian in front of him pace continuously, his hands fidgeting each time he changed directions. The idiot had been repeating these actions for the last forty minutes, and the blond was only thankful that he had called a House Elf when he did to supply liquor, else he may have had to char the man's robes simply to draw his attention. Blaise was lost as usual, those unnatural emotions of his once again running rampod in his head.

"What do you think of her," he asked at length, looking up. There were only minutes left now before he would need to go off and get Ginny, but he had yet to come to terms with anything.

"Mate, you have been seeing her off and on for a year. I condone you sacrificing your pure blood for Ginny Weasley, but aren't you spending too much time with her? Your line is pure, and although little Weasley is a Pureblood she is also a blood traitor; one your family shall never accept."

"I'm not asking them to accept!" He stormed over to where Draco sat and fell on the couch at his side, his head slumping. Knowing what his longtime friend needed, Draco reached forward and grasped an empty glass, quickly filling it to the brim. Handing it to his unsure pal, the Italian quickly downed the contents before demanding more.

"If you actually do intend to go see her tonight then making yourself drunk will not be in your favor. She is always bitching about how much alcohol you consume, and if your intention is to make things last with that girl you best not ruin your chances further." Draco tilted the glass back, taking a hefty sip of his own drink. "I still don't understand why you desire her of all people."

Blaise sighed, looking around Draco's expensive Manor. The place could easily be paid for by the funds in his vaults, but to everyone's immense surprise the blond had actually tried to make something of himself after the war. His mother had run away and his father was rotting in Azkaban, but that did not deter the blond's determination. No, the man had actually invested some of the money into the already active family business, causing it to blossom further and bring in an even higher income. The amount of money this single person possessed was sickening, and although he worked hard for his earnings he had never been one to be generous. The Italian could almost smirk at that. Having seen his mate speaking with Granger just the other day, he had known something was up. Perhaps if Draco planned to be so hard on him about his relationship, he would have to tease the dolt about her.

"I don't understand how you can speak to Granger," he retorted, glancing at Draco. The blond stiffened.

"We don't speak to each other; we argue," the blond hissed, glaring at his friend. To this, Blaise could only laugh.

"Ah yes, of course. Is that why you spent so much time speaking with her at the reunion?" he challenged, sitting up to level with the blond. "I really didn't have much time to observe the two of you; I was dealing with my dilemma with Ginny. But you seemed less livid towards her than one would expect."

Draco scoffed. "How could you possibly know if we were as cutthroat as normal towards each other if you were too busy dealing with your precious ginger? You just said you were handling something with her that night, did you not?"

The Italian pressed his lips into a thin line. "I suppose I did."

"Besides, it's not like I am speaking with Granger about the same things you speak with Weaselette about. I haven't seen that blasted girl in five years; the only thing I remember about her is her constant nagging when someone didn't do their work and her desire to help everyone. Granger is the exact opposite of me." At this he smirked. "That's exactly why I had to bother her the other day at the reunion; it's easy to get under her skin. She was furious with me in seconds. And you know what Blaise? She actually had the courage to try and shoo me away _back_ to those insane women who chased me all night! Do you believe that? She thought I deserved them!"

To this, the blond only received a pat on the shoulder. "Well of course she said that. You make the papers quite often. It's not unknown that you're a playboy, so Granger was only going off what she knows." He set his drink down and stood. "I best be off mate. Ginny will have a fit thinking I am off trying to flirt with other women again if I am late."

"Ah, there's another problem of yours mate. You _are_ constantly flirting with other women. You're just lucky she hasn't completely dumped your arse. Remember, she always has a fallback." The blond smirked again at the look of pure fury that overtook his friend's features.

"He's not good enough for her," he hissed.

"And you are? Even when she is right in front of you, you somehow find someone else to look at- usually someone with a larger rack. I have no idea how you plan to keep her at this rate."

Blaise turned away. "Stuff it Malfoy," he growled, walking purposefully to the fireplace. The blond say nothing as he dropped in some powder and called out her home, disappearing into the smoke. He could only shake his head, finishing the remainder of his drink.

_Ah, the domino effect. I wonder how long this sequence will last?_

* * *

Hermione had never hated herself more. Here she was, dressed up nicely for this expensive dinner, playing as the ignorant third wheel of Luna's "date". So far Harry and the blond had been hitting it off, and she found that so long as Ginny wasn't there to distract, that Harry really did seem like he could grow to like Lovegood in the same way she liked him. As she stirred her food on her plate carelessly, something caught her eye; a tuft of red hair. Oh goodie, Ginny and Blaise had arrived.

She was bored, and had no desire to watch the drama ensue tonight. The circle of emotions would begin as soon as Zabini started acting like his usual self, and then she would be left to handle an upset Luna, who would quite possibly take her to a club. The night was going to be a long and dreadful one.

Things did not escalate as quickly as Hermione had hoped. They were practically finished with their meals when she dared to look over at Blaise and Ginny. To her utter surprise, they appeared happy. She couldn't fathom how that was possible since they usually argued, but she wasn't going to complain. In a perfect world, those two would work out their differences, and neither would have to break it off with the other anymore; Blaise was good for Ginny, but only when he was being a good man. And if those two remained together, there was hope for Luna and Harry to become something.

_But this is not a perfect world and something will happen again to upset the balance. It's only a matter of time before the storm comes again and ruins this tranquil peace._

_Besides, even if they all get their happily ever after, I'm still all alone. _

Luna started giggling at something Harry had said, and her eyes turned back to the pair she was currently eating with. They were nearly holding hands in front of her, and she quickly made the executive decision to high tail it out of there before they kissed and everything went downhill. She would need a breather, especially if Ginny looked over and noticed. Would there be jealousy if she saw her two friends like that? Hermione didn't know but knew there was no escape from tonight, and at least decided to brace herself.

"I'm getting some air," she said quickly, even though she was already up out of her chair. If they replied to her statement, she didn't hear them. It was only when the bitter outside air hit her skin that she relaxed. At least there would be peace out there for a few moments.

Why did everything have to be so complicated?

"Isn't it a bit bitter out to be wearing a strapless dress Granger," came a distinct drawl, and Hermione cringed. How in Merlin's name did he of all people end up outside the restaurant. Turning, she placed her hands on her hips and glared at the blond.

"What are you doing here Malfoy?"

"He jerked his head to the side. "I was at the bar down the street. I know Blaise is in there with your little friend, and I thought I would come and observe whether or not things had gone to hell again. I didn't think you would be here. Nice dress by the way- a little revealing though isn't it? Are you trying to sell something here on the corner- oh! That's why you are without a cloak." He smirked at the color that took over her cheeks.

"I am not _selling_ anything," she hissed, crossing her arms. This had been the only dress she owned aside from the outfit she wore to the reunion that Luna deemed acceptable for public viewing. Really, her two friends might be in a silent war at the moment, but they certainly thought alike. Ginny had been through her wardrobe many times, and this was the only dress she decently liked as well. It was modest and not too short, and she knew Malfoy was only attempting to get under her skin. "The girls you saw at the club you just left probably looked far cheaper than I ever will."

He cocked an eyebrow at that. "Perhaps. So what are you really doing out here Mudblood? You can't possibly tell me that you don't know that this is where your dear friend is. Perhaps you are spying?"

Hermione glared. "Hardly. For your information Malfoy, I was _invited_ here. Unlike you, I don't surround myself with a bunch of sex-crazed morons." She nodded her head to his attire, which was only made up of a pair of dark trousers and an open shirt, revealing a very sculpted chest. "It's not surprising that you follow the club life; why work when you have centuries of money to fall back on, right?"

The blonde's gaze hardened. "For _your _information Granger, I don't just sit on my arse all day fucking pretty women that arrive at my door. I actually work hard to keep the Malfoy funds growing by investing and actually dealing with _my_ company. If you read the bloody papers you would know that."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't waste my time with that rubbish. Half the shit printed there is completely made up."

Draco smirked at that. "My, the Gryffindor brainiac doesn't keep up on current events? Surprising."

Again, she shrugged. "I don't like the writers. Witch Weekly is by far one of the worst papers, and occasionally I glance into the Daily Prophet, but I have seen enough reporters print false facts in my day to last a lifetime. I have very little faith in the papers. The fact that you work at all is surprising, and if I read that I would probably have laughed."

His smirked dropped into a frown. "You think so little of me, don't you?"

"_I _think so little of you!? Throughout our entire schooling you called me that degrading name 'Mudblood'."

"And the name Ferret isn't bad?"

She suppressed a smile. "That name was well deserved. What would we have done without the amazing bouncing ferret brightening our day in fourth year? That is by far one of my absolute favorite school memories."

"Yes, I can believe that."

She nodded, rubbing her arms. Merlin he was right; it was bitter cold out. Rubbing her arms, she couldn't help but hate him a bit. The git might have on an open shirt but the heavy winter robes that sat on his shoulders had to be keeping the cool bite away from his skin. And she in her rush had completely disregarded the motion to grab her own overcoat. Now she was regretting it. Perhaps she should've heeded his words from the beginning- he did after all point out her attire first thing.

"Cold?" he asked with a grin. "Perhaps we can go inside and I can sit at the table with you that you have been occupying to spy. Although you probably shouldn't leave your purse unattended Granger- you do own one don't you? That would be a terrible thing to lose."

Hermione glared. "I didn't come to spy, we already went over this. I came with Luna and Harry."

The smug expression was back. "Oh?"

_Shit. _"Yes, and I should be getting back to them now," she said quickly, hoping to avoid any further conversation about the topic. Malfoy would only end up using this to his advantage. But he grasped her frigid arm the moment she turned.

"For fuck's sake Granger, you're freezing. You may as well be out here trying to murder yourself." Adjusting his hold, he moved to walk at her side and her eyes widened a degree. He started walking forward but she remained rooted in place. "Well, come on Granger."

"You can't go in there," she hissed, looking alarmed. "Not with me! Do you know how much of an uproar that would cause?"

He chuckled, dragging her inside. The look of terror on her face was worth touching her, even if he would have to disinfect that arm later. "Well of course. But Potter is here, and everyone _loves_ him. If anyone asks I am just a concerned friend watching out for Blaise." Even in his own head, it sounded like bullshit.

They entered into the expensive restaurant once more, nobody paying them any mind, too immersed in their own conversations. Hermione almost wished the guests would consider them a spectacle so that she could make a scene and get away from him. However was she going to get out of this? To her horror Draco grabbed a chair as they were walking and placed it at the table Harry and Luna still occupied, drawing someone's attention. The pair looked up, only to pause and gape.

"Hermione," Harry asked slowly, eyes dancing between the two as Draco dared to sit down. "What is _he_ doing here?"

"I have a name Potter, and that is my friend over there. Granger was just gracious enough to point out which restaurant our little friends were eating at, and I simply had to join you." His eyes glimmered, and she had to bite her tongue to keep from pointing out all the lies in his story. Harry was looking at her with something akin to horror on his face.

"You _brought_ him in here?" he seethed, looking at her in alarm. She could only shrug her shoulders helplessly.

"Technically he brought me in. There wasn't much say in this on my part. He thought you would enjoy his company." She shot the blonde a glare, but he only smirked. It bothered her to no end that he had come in solely to be a bother. Even if she was alone he would've followed her, the usual prick that he is. "Obviously that delusional thought was miscalculated."

"Why did you think Harry would like your company?" Luna asked, suddenly speaking up. Her unusually soft voice brought a sort of calm over the table that had not been there before, and Hermione was thankful that the girl's considerably ditzy nature was helping the situation instead of fueling more arguments. How she was keeping calm though was beyond her; weren't they there to watch Ginny, someone who Harry was more interested in than Lovegood? In her opinion, Luna should've been in a bitter mood.

Draco only raised an eyebrow in return to her question. "Well why not? The girl he really wants to be here with is currently drooling over my best mate- it's actually sickening to watch. Merlin I don't know what he sees in her." The blonde was staring at the pair now, disgust laced throughout his features.

Hermione wanted to hit him. Immediately, Luna's face dropped several degrees, the carefree expression falling into one of sadness. Why did he have to be so insensitive? Kicking him under the table, she reached over and grasped Luna's hands, which sat beside a crumbled napkin, stained in grease from her food.

"Ignore him; he's a moron." Draco made to protest, but she kicked him a second time and nothing more was said. There was a new tension in the air now though, one Hermione knew would linger the rest of the night. Why did the prick have to make things harder for her?

The rest of dinner was spent in an awkward silence. Somehow Malfoy ended up eating with them, and as predicted it began drawing attention. The four occupants were too preoccupied with their own thoughts though to ever notice.

When Ginny and Blaise finally made their departure, the two desperate people at the table were quick to scramble from their chairs and follow, leaving Hermione and Draco to pay the bill and tip. The blonde glared at them icily as they left. "Your friends need to adopt some sort of life other than stalking people."

Hermione rolled her eyes, finishing her dinner. "Although I would thoroughly enjoy disagreeing with you, I can't deny that you have a point. As you said the last time we spoke, it all focuses around the domino effect, which is something I am impressed you know about at all."

Draco glared. "I don't live in a hole Granger; I do read. Even some of those prehistoric muggle writers aren't as bad as they could be. This domino effect terminology is quite fascinating to read if nothing else."

Her eyebrows shot up. "You find something concerning muggles _fascinating_?"

The blonde took a sip of his drink before replying. "As I said Granger, it's something to read if nothing else. My fascination with it is only that- fascination. Although some of the comparisons muggles have made are unique, many make very little sense at all. I was reading a book once and it spoke of some sort of bird that delivers babies. Are muggles too bewildered by the act of birth to realize this is absolute foolishness?"

She nearly choked on her food. He would find the most ridiculous type of myth to bring up, wouldn't he? "They are not all that bad Malfoy; even you are using a phrase that is uncommon in the muggle world. Most people don't use those types of phrases. It's rare if nothing else. Where did you even find a book like that?"

He shrugged, pulling out an expensive wallet. She held up her hand in protest, but he only rolled his eyes and deposited a large sum of money onto the table, including tip. And the sad part was it looked like it hardly dented his wallet- a new trend among wizards. Carrying around sacks of coins seemed foolish when they could charm sleek muggle wallets to hold the same amount of money and have something 'stylish' to carry with them. It was surprising to see the narrow-minded blonde carrying one though.

She was so lost pondering her own thoughts that she didn't even notice when he stood up until he cleared his throat. "Granger, are you just going to sit there all day? I thought we might go outside and see if there is a war going on; your friends did follow the couple rather quickly after they left. Sitting in here doesn't give us any insight on whether or not there was a confrontation."

Hermione's eyebrows shot up again. "You only want to go outside to see if they are fighting on the street?"

"Well yes, I thought that was obvious." He inclined his head in her direction. "Wear that ratty coat of yours this time will you? You might catch pneumonia after standing outside in the frigid cold without it earlier- or use a heating charm for that matter. And stop staring at the bill as though you have to chip in. Really, you should consider buying yourself a coat instead."

"Excuse me? My mother-"

"Oh please don't give me a long story about your mother and that coat Granger, for I promise I won't listen. Let's just get outside." He turned without waiting for her, buttoning up his cloak as he walked. She huffed, feeling quite reluctant to follow him, but it would also be awkward to remain at the table alone with no more food and a paid bill. Deciding to chance spending more time with the prat as well as finding one of her friends in a blithering mess on the ground, she snatched up her coat and purse and followed. Now that she wasn't so sidetracked, she could clearly acknowledge that it was bitter out there.

Outside she found Malfoy standing in the snow lighting a cigarette. She crinkled her nose, thinking about how disgusting of a habit it was. He placed the stick at his lips and inhaled deeply, causing smoke to circle around him. "Cold?"

"Shut up," she snapped, hugging herself. It had gotten quite a bit colder than before, and she now wished she had her winter cloak with her instead of the fashionable jacket she had been forced into wearing courtesy of Luna, who was currently nowhere to be found. Had everyone decided to disappear? "Malfoy, if there is no one out here I'm going home."

"And you will leave your little blonde friend all alone?" he asked, dramatically placing a hand on his chest.

"She has to be off someplace with Harry; he might be lovesick over Ginny but he is not selfish; he wouldn't be foolish enough to leave her alone in this kind of weather."

"Are you sure about that?"

_I would hope so. _"Yes, of course."

He skeptically raised an eyebrow, continuing to smoke the cigarette. "If that's what you like to believe."

Hermione nodded once. "It is. Now I really must be off to my flat; you should do the same. It's too cold to be standing out here, even to smoke. Another storm is coming in."

"I can tell."

"I would hope so. Now please Malfoy, the next time we meet I hope it is under better circumstances where you do not invite yourself to dinner."

He smirked through the cold, his heavy cloak obviously keeping him nice and warm. She wondered if he had used one of those heating spells he had mentioned. "You hope we meet again do you?"

"If we must, I hope it is not under such uncomfortable circumstances. I have seen you more recently then I ever imagined I would." She inclined her head softly towards him hugging herself. "Goodnight Malfoy, I must be off."

Draco nodded in return. "Of course; you're about to turn blue. Find heavier cloaks Granger, they are more effective."

She huffed, finding it exceptionally annoying that he constantly replied to everything she said with some sort of cocky undertone. Turning away, she hurried off a few feet before Apparating. Her home would not block her out.

And Draco remained in the cold, smoking his cigarette and silently watching a nearby figure. When he had finished and put the stick out, he placed his hands in his pockets and walked over to the girl he had noticed since first coming out there. Stopping in front of her, he waited until she looked up before speaking.

"Do you always wait in the cold Looney?"

* * *

Hermione awoke the following morning to find an owl perched outside her window. Rubbing sleep from her eyes, she walked over to allow the bird in, ignoring the fluffy snow that blew in with him. This was a bird she did not recognize. Taking the letter off its leg and offering the black bird some feed, she unrolled the parchment and cringed at what she read.

_Granger~_

It was a letter from Malfoy, someone she had been hoping to not hear from again for a long while.

_I realize you must be unhappy with this letter. Rest assured, I am not pleased to send it. I think we need to talk. Things are getting out of hand concerning your friends and _one_ of mine, and they will only continue to deteriorate the longer we stand around and watch. Stop thinking those little thoughts of yours about my arrogance like I know you are, and think about this. We both saw the way Potter and Looney reacted when Weaselette and Blaise left last night, and it's both disturbing and unhealthy. We need to discuss how to help the situation, even if we would much rather kill each other. But if I hear Blaise complain one more time, I shall kill myself. Now owl me back as soon as you get this, and don't put off a response for several hours like you would like to. This will hopefully help us both in the long run._

_~Malfoy_


	3. A Plan

**A/n: **Another chapter up. Keep those reviews coming ;) Thanks to my new beta **Tessa Cresswell**!

* * *

Hermione was almost ashamed to say that she had indeed owled the git back and they had agreed to meet at a small café later that same day. He would never admit that he had a point, but she could see where he was coming from. Their friends were certainly making matters difficult all because of this twisted square of emotions- yes, she had decided it was an interlocking square versus a triangle- and they would both likely be driven mad if something was not done.

Finding Malfoy in the café was like finding the sun in the sky. He stuck out like a sore thumb with his blonde hair, and she quickly made her way over to him.

"Granger."

"Malfoy."

The blonde waved a waitress over. "Would you care for anything?" he asked, before declaring that he wanted a cup of tea as well as a crumpet. He then looked expectantly at the brunette across from him.

She shook her head, remembering how he had carelessly paid for the expensive dinner for everyone last night. "Just a water." He rolled his eyes but nodded to the waitress that their order was finished and she quickly walked away.

"You could've ordered a bit more than a water you know. I can afford to pay for a second crumpet."

"You have already paid for one of my meals I do not need you paying for them all," she replied quickly, folding her hands in front of her. "But that's not why we are here." He nodded once, and she continued. "What exactly are you playing at? You act as though you have a plan for our friends."

"I do have a plan," he said, looking slightly offended that she thought otherwise. "It's quite a simple plan too; it's a wonder one of us didn't think of it before."

"Well what is it then?"

Draco smirked at her. "We are going to play matchmakers."

For a moment, it was utterly silent. She only stared at the man before her like he had three heads. "Are you mad?"

"No," he said, frowning, "I think I'm rather brilliant actually."

"You call this brilliance? It sounds like something you would hear about off of a pathetic love show."

"Show?" he asked with another frown.

Hermione shook her head at him, having forgotten that he had no idea what a 'show' or 'movie' was. "Never mind. The point is this idea sounds like one of those cheesy ideas you hear off in cliché romance books. Matchmakers, really? And who exactly do we propose we match with who- because I assure you Malfoy, scrambling things up into an even more complicated mess will do no good."

The blonde chuckled. "I never had any intentions of putting the wrong people together Granger; do you forget that these constant fights wear on my life as well? No, I have no desire to make things more difficult. I am only saying we should push people in the right direction."

"And to you that is?"

He chuckled. "Blaise and Ginny are fitting for each other- they both are shallow and expect too much from the other person. They have to learn to balance each other out if they ever hope to survive together. Your Looney friend-"

"Luna!" Hermione threw her hands up, catching her hair in a ring on her finger- an action she did not at first notice. "Oh Merlin, I forgot to check on her! With everything that went on last night I just assumed she was with Harry-"

"Calm down Granger," the blonde said, just as their orders arrived. He nodded politely to the woman as she left, handing her a coin of some sort that Hermione didn't even pay attention to. "Drink something before you scare yourself further- Looney is fine."

She reached for her glass, pulling at her hair due to the ring that was still tangled there. After three unsuccessful tries to pull the two pieces of her body apart, Malfoy finally reached over and pulled once on the hair- painfully hard mind you- to sever it from the ring. She rubbed her head as he retracted his hand.

"Thanks," she muttered, taking a sip of her drink.

"Well it wouldn't do to have you fighting with your own head for the next twenty minutes."

She nodded. "Now what did you say about Luna- and yes Malfoy, that is her name. Not Looney like you continue to call her."

Draco shrugged, indifferent to whatever name they chose to associate her with. "I found Looney- yes alright, _Luna_," he said, correcting himself as she glared daggers at him, "Barely twenty feet from where we had been talking outside last night. Apparently Potter dismissed her because he _thought_ he saw Blaise being a right bastard to Ginny up ahead. She just sat down and started wallowing in self-pity." He rolled his eyes. "I took her home before she froze to death. That girl is a rather odd one Granger; she actually wanted to wait for Potter to return. I haven't the slightest idea if Wonder Boy did or not, just that your friend would've give up her life to wait for him. It's an unhealthy attraction."

"Tell me about it," she muttered in return. "Luna's been like that for ages, ever since she and Neville began drifting apart. I'm not sure what happened between them, but I do know that it wasn't pleasant. Now she adores Harry's attention."

"Like a dog," Draco asked, inclining an eyebrow.

"No, not exactly. When Harry is not lost in that fantasy world of his where Ginny loves him, he can be truly affectionate with Luna. But those are few and far between occurrences. I don't think that Harry ever got over his schoolboy crush on Ginny really."

"Potter does know that school ended for us over four years ago, doesn't he? It's a bit ridiculous to chase after your childhood crush when that person is interlocked in an ever changing relationship. He would probably be far happier if he simply moved on from the girl."

"My sentiments exactly," Hermione agreed, finishing her glass. "So if I am correct, you are proposing we force our friends together? How do you propose we do that?"

"We will force them to do nothing Granger," Malfoy said, continuing to eat his crumpet, "For when you force people to do something, it makes them object to the very idea all together. We will force none of them to do anything, but we will certainly show them the light."

"How?"

"Well Granger," he said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the table, "We will start with the easiest pawns. Like I said, Blaise and Ginny deserve each other, so they will be the easiest to persuade. For them, it is really only a matter of making them decide whether or not they can stand each other long enough to form an actual relationship."

Hermione nodded slowly. "I see. You come across as quite the _relationship God_ Malfoy for someone that has been involved with so few people."

"I've been with enough people to know the tricks of the trade- but thank you for the 'God' compliment Granger, I always knew you thought of me as an inhuman character." He winked at her, watching the brunette roll her large eyes skyward. "Once those two are set up perfectly to begin making decisions on their own, we move on to Potter and Lo- Luna. They will be harder since only one of them has feelings for the other. We- and by we I mean _you_- will have to get Potter to see her in a different sort of light, in the way a lover should see another." He shuddered at his own words. "Once Potter's mindset has changed, we can hopefully maneuver Luna onto the scene to change his mind on her by actually speaking with the girl. Of course, we are also going to have to make him see all the flaws of Ginny Weasley."

"Sounds like a lot of work," she muttered, listening intently to him. "Is that why you recruited me specifically for this plan? Because I am good friends with Harry and I will be able to talk to him about his relationship?"

"I suppose, if talking about relationships all the time is what you Gryffindor's spend your time doing."

"_Former_ Gryffindor's Malfoy," Hermione said, smiling lightly at him. "Have you already forgotten that school was four years ago like Harry?"

That brought a rare smile to the blonde's face, one which truly stunned Hermione. "I suppose I have." Clearing his throat, he continued, "Now you know my rough idea Granger, so what so you say? Are you going to help me change our friend's minds so our lives can be a little less complicated and we will perhaps never have to cross the same path again?"

"Your plan is devious and manipulative and the only reason you are bothering to help others with their lives is to make your own easier to deal with. You're cruel Malfoy."

"It comes with the name," he said arrogantly, shrugging. Extending a hand across the table, he met her eyes, ignoring the parts of his mind that screamed at him not to touch her. "Do we have a deal then? Are you ready to become partners for our own sakes?"

Hermione smirked- a near replica of the blonde's trademark look- and closed her hand around his own. "I might just regret this, but I can't stand seeing my friends suffer anymore. You indeed have a deal Malfoy."

* * *

Going about Malfoy's plan was harder than Hermione had expected it to be. For one thing, she had been trying to distance herself from the complications of love that circled around her friends for ages, and to suddenly want to become involved in the whole ordeal might come across a bit odd to some people. She could only hope that a time would arise when Ginny was irritated and mad, a time that would give her the perfect opportunity to hopefully work the plan into play.

That chance came only a day later as she was sitting in her living room reading a muggle magazine. The floo roared to life and she had just barely looked up before an infuriated redhead was storming around her apartment.

"The nerve of that man," she bellowed, throwing her hands up. Hermione watched the new arrival walk the perimeter of her living room twice before throwing herself down on a nearby chair.

_Well this won't make things any easier. _Shutting her book after a moment's hesitation, the brunette smoothed back her hair. "I suppose this outbreak of rage has to do with Blaise again?"

"Who else," she fumed, glaring at the coffee table. "He is such a bastard sometimes!"

"I've gathered that you have felt that way on more than one occasion."

Ginny finally glanced at her friend. "This time is different!"

"How?" she asked, fearing the answer she would get. Sometimes when you got Ginny to talk there was just no stopping her as she fumed.

"We were out shopping," the redhead began, standing up once more. "He wanted me to find a new dress to go meet his mother- can you believe it? His _mother_! That means things are getting serious!" The excited look was wiped off of her face a moment later. "Or at least, things _were_ getting serious."

"What did he do this time?"

She huffed. "While I was in the dressing room trying on some of the gowns he has selected- he really has exquisite taste, something he said he picked up from Malfoy apparently- he was out there speaking with one of the workers at the shop. And when I come out he is whispering in her ear and they are close together! They didn't jump apart, but he looked _so_ guilty when he turned away and saw me. I just went back in, put my own clothes on, tore up the dress and threw it at him."

Hermione wanted to groan. Ginny was certainly not going to make this easy. "Well did he seem to be making her giggle? Was he smirking like usual?"

The redhead paused in her tirade, but only briefly. "I don't know- I wasn't paying attention to any of that!"

"Then how do you know he was being unfaithful," the girl asked, glaring at her friend. "How do you know he was flirting if nothing seemed amiss? You don't even know what the real reason behind that body language was, do you?"

Ginny huffed. "I shouldn't have to ask! It's always the same!"

"And you always jump to conclusions as well," the brunette reasoned.

Now the ginger really did pause and turned to give all of her attention to the older girl. "Who's side are you on!?"

"Yours Ginny," Granger said quickly, inwardly swearing. "Of course I am on your side. I just think your relationship wouldn't be so strained if you didn't always jump to rash conclusions."

"Rash conclusions-"

"Ginny," Hermione cut in, crossing her arms, "Enough with the bloody screaming. This is my apartment and I will not have you taking down the walls with your loud voice. Be quiet or get out, because I do not have the patience for this today."

To say the girl was stunned would be an understatement. Never had Hermione screamed at her to be quiet, and the revelation that she just had was shocking. Sitting down in the chair once more, the ginger took many deep breaths to calm her temper. "You must really be tired of hearing me talk about this if you are finally telling me to shut my mouth," she muttered.

"Listening to the same scenario over and over again does get tiresome at some point," Hermione agreed, nodding her head just once. "If you expect me to help at all you really must keep your volume down."

Ginny took a breath. "Fair enough. Now how do you propose I get back at him?"

The brunette blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Well you know, get back at Blaise. I can't just let him continue to do this!"

Hermione reached up to rub her head, resisting the urge to hit the girl before her. Really, Ginny was beginning to get ridiculous. "You don't need to get back at him for anything."

"What!?"

"You heard me, so I will not repeat myself. And what did we just go over about volume?" The ginger clamped her mouth shut, glaring at her friend through slitted eyes as she continued. "Good. Now listen for once Ginny. You jump to more conclusions than anyone I know, and you do it without batting an eye. Maybe Blaise is the way he is because he is tired of keeping up with your high maintenance-"

"I am not-"

"_Let me finish._ Men do not like to deal with people that are emotionally unstable, a trait you often exhibit. Just because you can run off to Harry whenever you please and have someone to fall back on does not make it right. You are probably destroying your relationship by doing this. You hate that Blaise flirts, but you run into another man's arms and make out with him mere moments after a fight. Your constant indecisive nature is going to cost you a very good man if you do not learn to control yourself."

"Forgive me if I have taken this wrong Hermione," the ginger fumed, crossing her arms, "But are you comparing me to a slut?"

_You are a daft moron, aren't you?_ "Hardly Ginny, I am merely pointing things out to you. You have a knack for blaming Blaise for every little thing, but you yourself are at fault as well. Relationships require two people to be present, and with you constantly running off to Harry it's easy to figure out one of the main reasons Blaise openly flirts. If you are willing to hurt him, he is obviously willing to hurt you in the same way."

"So… you think that I shouldn't run off to Harry for comfort anymore? But he's my best friend!"

_I'm going to have to punch you in a moment._ "No Ginny, you should not bother Harry with these sorts of problems. He still has some deep feelings for you-"

"Really?" the redhead cut in, a smile playing at her lips.

_That was the wrong thing to say. _"Don't get any ideas Ginny, you and I both know that you don't feel that way about Harry anymore."

"But Harry is easy," she replied sighing. "Harry cares for me, and he is sweet-"

"And you would be fucking him over if you dated him because it would all be an act in your eyes but real in his. You would crush his heart."

The girl's expression dropped a degree. "Perhaps you're right."

"I am right Ginny; I have seen the domino effect enough times to know that is how it would be. The only reason you ever even glance at Harry is because you need a shoulder to cry on. There is nothing there for you romantically, but in his mind there is."

The younger girl nodded robotically.

"Now with Blaise, you appear to have no trust. Alright yes- the prick is often caught flirting with other woman, but perhaps there is a reason behind that. Merlin knows what that would be though."

Ginny shrugged. "I don't think he is unsatisfied with me. We do whatever he wants in bed-"

"That's plenty enough!" Hermione did not need the mental image scarring her forever. "I don't know why Blaise flirts often, but that is for you to discover. Have you ever tried to talk to him about it?"

"Well of course-"

"At a time when you are not yelling at each other?"

"Well… no, I suppose not."

The brunette nodded her head once. "I thought as much. What you need to do Ginny is call and declare that the two of you go out for lunch or something, and once there you can have a nice long talk. Men hate to talk more often than not, but sometimes it is necessary. I'm sure if you can get to the bottom of his constant need to flirt you can decide where to go from there. If it turns out that he simply cannot handle only having one woman in his life, then you know it's time to rid yourself of the fool."

Ginny suddenly looked afraid. "You think that's the reason he is always flirting?"

_Merlin help me._ "Like I said, I don't know the reasoning behind it. I just threw that idea out there. Just promise me you won't stick with him anymore if he is only going to continue dragging your heart around."

"He hasn't been-"

"Ginny," Hermione said sternly, glaring down her nose at the ginger, "Don't lie to yourself."

The younger girl sighed. "I suppose your right." Standing, she straightened her outfit, which was made of exquisite materials that Hermione could only ever see Blaise purchasing for her. "I best be off then, I need to plan a lunch date."

"Yes- and don't let him avoid answering questions!"

"Of course not," the ginger replied as she reached the floo network once again. There was a moment's pause before the two girls ran at each other, locking in a tight hug. It felt good to feel connected again.

"It's been a long time since we spoke like this," the brunette whispered.

"Indeed," her friend replied, pulling back. "Now don't be a stranger, we can always talk when there is nothing frightfully drastic going on. We should have tea together sometime."

"It's a date." Granger painted a smile on her face.

"Good. I'll owl you about how things go." With a quick wave of her hand, Ginny had snatched up some powder and was gone. Hermione had never been more relieved to see her go, and collapsed back on the couch.

_Well hopefully that has at least steered things in the right direction. I might just die if that entire conversation was a waste. _Rolling over, she glanced at her window. There was no owl yet, which meant that Malfoy had not yet finished speaking with his half of the problem.

* * *

"Always?" the blonde asked for perhaps the third time.

"Yes always! Sometimes her badgering drives me up the wall!" Draco's counterpart was currently describing all the things about Ginny Weasley that annoyed him. Number seventeen was the way she chewed meat- a rather pointless fact if there ever was one. And now they had apparently progressed onward to eighteen- badgering, which to Draco could easily fall under the already named category of 'irritations'.

"Blaise, how many of these are there?" Malfoy asked, cutting his friend off before he could say more.

"Oh, I don't know, perhaps a hundred?" He was pacing the room, rambling on about nothing at this point.

"If there are so many things you dislike about this girl then why do you continue to date her on and off again? If there are so many things that irk you then perhaps you shouldn't have taken her up on your arm again."

"Oh Draco, you don't understand the first thing about love."

The blonde's eyebrows shot up. "But you do?"

"Well of course! I'm not dating her for laughs." The Italian stopped his pacing long enough to pause in front of Draco. "I never stay away from her because I can't."

"Why?"

Zabini sighed. "When Ginny isn't around I feel a bit empty inside- it's hard to explain to someone heartless really."

"Despite the common thread of mind, I do process a heart. Now will you stop talking like a lovesick dolt and answer me a few questions?"

"What questions?"

The blonde sat forward, placing his elbows on his knees. "Why do you really stay with Weasley's little sister- besides that pathetic attempt at poetry you just told me."

Blaise rolled his eyes and finally sat down beside the blonde, running his fingers over his face. "Because at the end of the day, Ginny makes me feel needed."

"Right then, will you explain to me why you constantly chase after other women then?"

"Draco, I don't-"

"Let's not make liars out of ourselves Blaise," the blonde said sternly, cutting his friend off.

He sighed. "I can't help myself. Whenever she gets cranky it eats at my nerves and I lose my patience I suppose. People I don't have any attachment to are easier to turn to at times like those."

"And when someone attractive simply walks by?"

His friend glared. "I'm a warm blooded _man_ Draco! What do you expect from me? I'm weak, and sometimes my mind strays-"

"Yes, that can be such a problem," the blonde replied with a roll of his eyes. "Perhaps if you would simply control yourself you would not have so many problems keeping her with you."

The Italian's eyes flashed. "_You're_ one to talk Malfoy! You fuck any girl you find without a second thought, yet you are telling me to control myself? Well if that isn't-"

"Need I remind you that I am not attached to anyone while I go about with my hobby?"

Blaise glared. "You're never attached to anyone."

"And see how much easier my life is? I don't have a girlfriend that is constantly freaking out over minor things. All I am saying mate is be careful what you stare at- girls can be rather jealous creatures."

"Well then what am I supposed to look at?"

Draco scoffed. "Perhaps your girlfriend would be a good start? You have to see something in her considering that she has no money to draw you in, so somewhere through that horrid red hair you must see beauty- or someone that is easy to draw into bed."

The moment the words left his mouth, Draco knew he was in for it. The Italian jumped on him, locking both his hands around the blonde's throat. "Don't ever talk about her like that," he hissed eyes large and livid.

Though he was in pain, the twat could not resist smirking. Pointing at his friend's hands, Zabini grumbled and let go only to hear what the blonde wanted to tell him. "See now? If you didn't feel something deep for her you would not have gotten so offended by my comment."

"Just watch your tongue," he grumbled.

"And you watch your eyes. Face it Zabini, so long as you have a girlfriend your eyes are expected to only watch her. It's one of those burdens that come with relationships. If you expect her to stop running off to Pothead every time she is upset, you can start by controlling your line of vision."

Blaise shifted. "You think that could work?"

"Well, it's the only option you have really. I can't fathom why you care for her so much, but you do, so it's about time you stop fucking things up."

"She can-"

"I'm sure she causes problems too," the blonde cut in, rolling his eyes, "But females always seem to believe we are the sole problem. Take it to heart; if you are sweet for a bit this whole mess will blow over."

The Italian scoffed as he stood and dusted off his robes. "I certainly hope it does," he grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets to search for his wand. "I suppose I better go set up another expensive date to say I'm sorry?"

"It could work; she seems to be smitten with anything that you pay for that involves her."

Zabini nodded grimly. "I best be off then. If you ever tell anyone that you talked me into being a pushover- even for a short while- Malfoy, I swear I'll skin you alive."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." He nodded his head and Blaise did the same, their mutual goodbye to one another. Once his friend was gone, Draco turned to find a quill.

_Best owl Granger before that woman has a fit. Who knew that fixing relationships could be this bloody difficult?_

* * *

"Do you think it went well then," she asked hesitantly, sipping her tea. Today she had allowed him to purchase her more than water, simply because her wallet was at home.

"Splendid," Draco replied, nodding to his brunette co-worker confidently. "If things continue to work so perfectly we will be out of one another's way in a matter of days. We make quite the relationship Gods after all."


	4. Short Dresses

**A/n:** Here's another chapter. It's slightly out there but I have to say, it was so much fun to write. Leave a review at the end if you enjoy! Follow me on my facebook by going through the link on my profile, and I hope you enjoy this story as well. It has been interesting to write for sure :D Thanks again to my beta **Tessa Cresswell**!

* * *

Making sure that Ginny and Blaise's first date after their pep talks went well was vital. If there was another argument or blowout Draco and Hermione could very well kiss peace and quiet goodbye. And after dealing with each other for a total of three days, that was just not an option. Indeed, the pair hated one another's company and could not wait to be rid of each other. But that would still take some time, no matter how much they hated it. If they wanted things to work, they had to do things right.

"I feel ridiculous," Hermione muttered, sliding the jacket on. Draco had decided it would be an excellent idea to spy on Ginny and Blaise, which to the blonde apparently meant using a few charms to change their appearances just so and purchase gaudy outfits. "These heels are remarkably skinny," she continued, teetering on the high stilts.

"They look the same as those hooker shoes you wore to the reunion," the blonde- well, former blonde- commented, checking himself in the mirror. Seeing Draco Malfoy with dark black hair and a mustache was nearly comical. Even his dark black robes had gone into the closet and were now replaced by a lighter grey- oh, what a change.

She suppressed a giggle as he cringed at himself in the mirror. They were currently in her apartment- since the former Gryffindor had been repulsed by the idea of going back to the Sinister Manor under any circumstances- and he still had not gotten used to the few differences to his look. Blue eyes replaced grey and although she thought the look was handsome, it was certainly not Draco Malfoy. If they passed each other on the street she would never suspect this to be the blonde in disguise; it was surreal.

"At least my hair stays down, unlike Potter's," Draco continued, fixing his cufflinks. Only a bloody Malfoy would wear something like cufflinks.

"Yes, black really does look good on you." He glared at her, noting her smile that was restraining her laugh.

"Granger, I was born to be a blonde. The fact that I am crucifying my hair to this color may as well be considered a sin- and we can't joke about that. I'm already beginning to miss it."

Now she did laugh. "Oh Malfoy, you are so in love with yourself."

He shrugged. "I'm in love with myself, rich women love me because I'm me, and businesses love me because I'm rich… Granger, I am not the only person that loves me."

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. Catching sight of her reflection in the mirror, she cringed at her look. Outright refusing Malfoy's proposal to go blonde, she had changed her burgundy locks to a deep burgundy and used a few charms to straighten it. She had started thinking of how fake she looked the moment it lay flat on her head; this certainly wasn't her, but that was the entire point. The dress that had _formally_ been one of her work suits now hugged her body a bit too much, coming just above mid-thigh. It was a bit showy, but at least no one would ever know this slutty girl was actually her. She felt positively naked in the dress. The heels were another story entirely.

"I'm not wearing these sticks outside," she demanded, crossing her arms. Draco- who had been smiling at himself in the mirror to see if he could still pick up women easily- glanced over.

"Like I said Granger, they are about the same bloody height those ones from the reunion were."

"Yes, and those shoes had a thick heel, so people would not break their ankles when walking on sidewalks- or in general. Look at these! There are too thin. I am going to die wandering in these."

He chuckled at her dismay. "Yes well, one could only hope."

She stopped fretting over her ankles long enough to glare at him. "So where are we going in these horrendous outfits?"

"Well," he said, leaning against the wall, "Blaise said they didn't ever end up going anywhere. They ended up having lots of sex-"

"I don't need to hear this, just get to the point."

He grimaced. "Yes well, neither did I but he went on about it for twenty minutes. Be glad your redhead friend only sent you an owl about tonight. We're going to a French restaurant- one which I will not tell you the name of for then you will complain forever about how expensive it is, because I'm bloody paying for this meal- and I made sure our table is nearby theirs. It pays to be me sometimes Granger."

Hermione huffed. "Don't worry Malfoy, there was going to be no argument. This entire plan was your idea so you best believe that you're paying for everything. It's bad enough that I have to go out like this." She glanced in the mirror at the skimpy dress again.

"Don't be so put off by it; you don't look bad for once."

"I look like a slut!" He just shrugged. "Fine, but if we are doing this we have to pretend to at least like each other, else no one will understand why we are there together."

"You want us to pretend like we are on a date," he asked, eyebrows shooting up. Now that was a terrifying idea.

She shrugged. "This was your brilliant idea in the first place, so I assumed you had come to that conclusion by now."

"Yes, well-"

"And I am not posing as a prostitute either! That would be worse than being a fake date." She shuddered. "Did you not think this part of the plan through?"

He scoffed. "Of course I did." She raised an eyebrow. "Oh shut up Granger, we are going to be late." Turning his back, he walked back through the apartment he had thoroughly insulted upon arriving and reached the floo. She smirked and followed, transfiguring the hem of her dress to add another four inches.

* * *

"That isn't nearly as short as it was before," he hissed as he pulled her chair out for her. She only rolled her eyes, smiling at the waiter who came to hand them their menus.

"There was no way in hell I was leaving my apartment in that Malfoy, period." He glared at her. "You came up with my style, I came up with yours." She smiled at his frown. "The only difference is I want to still have some dignity when I return home later."

He grumbled something under his breath that she couldn't quite hear and chose to leave alone. Ginny and Blaise were indeed nearby and she felt like a rotten friend for spying on the ginger. But then, Ginny had been an atrocious friend to Luna for ages now- even if she was too dim to see the effect her actions had on the strange girl. Plus, she used Harry like a towel constantly. No, feeling bad about this was suddenly a bit hard to do. The girl could be wicked when she chose.

"Looks like things are going well," Draco said after a few minutes of minimal menu reading and tons of friend watching. I haven't seen Blaise look at anyone for a few minutes."

"Yes, how impressive," she deadpanned, thinking it was sad when a few minutes of focus could be counted as a real achievement. _Men. _

She felt a draft, and hissed as her legs touched more of the cool chair. "Malfoy," she practically snarled, looking over at the not-so-innocent- dolt, "You did not just re-transfigure my dress again!"

"Me? Now why ever would I do that?" He was unsuccessfully trying to hide a grin.

"So you could get another chuckle. Really, I don't know how you ever get anything done during the day."

"What are you talking about Granger? I have business executives that take care of my ever growing money, and I live the life of a bachelor. I don't ever really have to get anything done."

"It explains your lack of brain cells," she muttered.

The dinner seemed to progress at a snail's pace. Dinner came to their table as well as Ginny and Blaise's, and both of them were happy to see that the pair seemed to be getting along without a hitch. There were plenty of pretty women around the restaurant serving and eating- many of which Draco himself watched on occasion- but Zabini's attention remained solely on his date. It was about time he started thinking straight.

At some point, Hermione stood. "I'll be back; I need to use the restroom." Draco waved her off, ever the inattentive date. She could only roll her eyes; it was a good thing this was fake. Wishing she had re-transfigured her dress again before standing up, she snatched up her purse with her wand inside and made her way to the restroom, passing Blaise and Ginny's table on the way. As she rounded the corner she thought she heard Ginny's voice rise a bit, but she couldn't be sure.

Her trip was short, and she made sure to add a few inches to the dress again before leaving. Walking out the bathroom door she noted that Blaise was standing in this cubby of the restaurant, hidden by many plants since it was only a restroom. She thought perhaps something had happened with Ginny and knew she needed to talk to Malfoy immediately.

An arm wrapped around her as she attempted to pass the Italian. "Hey," he said, pulling her back aside him. She was too horrified to respond.

_You've got to be fucking kidding me. _

"I saw you earlier," he continued, biting her ear. She slapped him away, but his teeth pulled at her ear and it hurt. Thank Merlin her eyes were grey-blue now, because she absolutely needed to look up into his eyes when she spoke.

"Didn't you come with a date," she snapped, reminding herself to mask her voice. Things would only get more awkward if he realized who she really was.

"Yeah," he said, grabbing her waist as he pulled her towards him, "But she's having a bit of a fit at the moment." His hands started sliding up and down her sides. She wondered for a moment why she ever listened to Malfoy's initial idea to get Ginny back together with this bastard. He really could be shady.

She grabbed both his hands and removed them from her body, shoving them back towards him as she took two steps away. "Then perhaps you should go and speak to her instead of playing the devil and going after the first woman you see. Don't you suppose this is why she is having a fit? I would be throwing hexes left and right at my boyfriend if he ever attempted to seduce another girl while on a date with me. His option for children would quickly be removed."

Blaise blinked. "Is he that raven haired fellow?" he asked, excluding everything else she had just said. For a moment she was at a loss as to why he was asking that, until she remembered that Malfoy's hair was currently black.

"Yes, that _fellow_ is my date, and you will be smart to keep your hands to yourself. He doesn't take kindly to people bothering me." _Who am I kidding? If I ever tell Malfoy this story he isn't going to offer help- he's going to be too busy rolling on the floor laughing his bloody arse off at my misfortune. _

Zabini's mood soured. "I didn't think you were particularly someone's _girlfriend_ in the ensemble that you were wearing." He looked at the hem of her dress and frowned, thinking it had looked much shorter than before.

She smirked at that. "You were saying? Now go be a good boy and talk to that poor girl you are probably distressing before my lips slip and I accidently say something to my boyfriend- or maybe to her as I pass."

His face paled at her words and she took that as a good sign. Flipping her hair over her shoulder in a snooty manner that felt awkward for her, she turned away and made her way back towards the table. Malfoy was going to get an earful when she told him what that bloody dress had just caused!

The git was eating as she stormed back towards the table, sitting down with a huff. He raised an eyebrow, wiping his lips. "You look rather red. Problem in the bathroom?"

"Just pay the bloody bill," she explained, cheeks reddening. Perhaps she wouldn't tell him what happened at all; it was mortifying enough.

"Touché," he grumbled. "We still need to watch them. You missed it! Weaselette got up and stormed out of the restaurant a few minutes ago and Zabini went back to the loo. We really should make sure-"

"We're not making sure of anything," she huffed, noting that Zabini had finally returned. His eyes met hers and he smirked. She scoffed and looked away, pinching at the low neckline of her dress. _Damn it Malfoy!_

She noted the blonde's frown. "Why is Blaise eyeing you?"

"Oh, that's quite the story actually. Your bloody plan has mucked up a whole bunch of things!" He didn't quite know what that meant, but finally waved a waiter over for the bill. Unconsciously, he found he could not stop watching Blaise, unintentionally daring the Italian to look at her again like that.

_Something must be wrong with me._

* * *

"I can't believe my best mate just molested a Mudblood," he groaned, shaking his head. They were back to normal now- minus the clothes- and she had just finished explaining what had happened between her and Blaise.

"I understand now why they have so many relationship problems. Actually, I'm not entirely sure how they have a relationship at all if he thinks it's alright to sneak off during the middle of a bloody date to find another woman!" She was pacing, throwing her hands up. "Ugh, I just want to wring his bloody neck! The nerve!"

"Yes, you and I both Granger," he muttered.

She stopped her tirade for a moment to look over at him. Something in his eyes was different; they looked darker, perhaps angrier. "Excuse me?"

"He treats women worse than I do. At least if I'm going to shag every woman that catches my eye I do it one at a time- never while on a date with another. That is just asking for trouble. And at least none of my fucks are a complicated relationship like they have started. He's really dug himself a hole."

"You don't say," she muttered, attempting to pull the neckline of her dress up. His eyes watched her every movement, and she found it uncomfortable. He was watching her now in such skimpy clothes, and with those grey eyes back again it seemed a lot more real. They looked like themselves again; there was no need to fake and act. So he need not watch her, but he was, and that was unsettling. "I'm taking this bloody thing off."

"By all means," he replied, opening his arms wide. She rolled her eyes skyward.

"Not in here you prick," she snapped, before picking up the scandalous heels. Those bloody things had nearly killed her both times they arrived via apparition, and if Malfoy hadn't been around to uncharacteristically balance her she would've hit the floor. At least the tight dress wouldn't have flown up to reveal her panties if that had happened, but Malfoy probably would've gotten a laugh out of it.

_Then again, he didn't laugh like you expected him to when you told him about Blaise. Actually, he didn't look happy at all. _She cleared her mind as she headed to her bedroom. Those blasted shoes could be transfigured into something sensible later. The dress was just horrible, and she tossed it in a rubbish bin. Never would she put on something so skimpy again and then wear it in public. Look at the problem it caused!

Returning, she found that Malfoy had shed quite a bit of clothing in her absence. The grey robes were removed and sitting on her couch, his appeal underneath now showing through. The bloke couldn't know the first thing about winter if he thought a sleeveless shirt was appropriate wear for this time of year, but the dark slacks were expected.

She blinked. "You own a sleeveless shirt," she asked, surprised. Her pajama bottoms and comfortable top were quite down compared to his still fantastic style, and the git just smirked at her.

"I had another shirt but it had to be removed. Stupid thing clashed with the rest of the look." He beckoned to himself. "And with my hair back to normal I thought I might as well feel good about myself. I can't believe you ruined it with that color!"

"Black? Everything you wear is black except that there shirt." She pointed to the skimpy piece of material covering an obviously toned chest. "And why are you still here? I thought you would get out of this apartment as soon as you could- sorry, this _dingy, drab, pathetically small _apartment as you called it."

He shrugged. "It is pathetic Granger, but to discuss this with you is not why I stayed. Blaise and the she-Weasel are going to come looking for us to complain about tonight and the woman who ruined everything-"

"_Only_ because you refused to leave me be with a human sized skirt!"

"Whatever. The point is they are going to want to talk- again. And that is going to be just horrible. So this part of the plan has to be paused until they can cool down and decide what to do."

She scoffed. "I could've told you that Malfoy."

"I'm sure you could, what with that giant head of yours. My point is that now we can move to the second couple on the list."

She blinked. "Luna and Harry?"

"Yes, Looney and the Wonder Boy. What a fabulous couple they will make." He looked about to gag.

"Don't make fun of them- and how does this involve both of us? You're not friends with either of them."

"Oh, so true. But you forget Granger, Looney works as an employee at one of my many companies."

"Your point being? You just told me earlier that you never do anything except sign things for Malfoy Industries. What are you going to do? Request she make a house call and then talk about why she is unhappy like a shrink?" Hermione was already shaking her head at the idiocy of her own words.

"Interesting idea Granger," the prat said, "Perhaps that is what I will do."

"I was kidding."

"I'm not."

Hermione set her head down on the arm of a chair in frustration. "You are so bothersome. Why would you even want to be involved with this half of the plan Malfoy? I believe you made fun of Luna at the reunion and Merlin everyone knows you can't stand Harry. I assumed this part was something I would be handling alone."

"You assumed wrong. Look, we handled Blaise and Ginny together so we should both be involved in this step as well."

"Yes, and look how well that turned out. I nearly had to shag your best friend next to a restroom of all places."

Draco's expression immediately darkened. "Don't remind me."

Deciding that his reactions to that fact were always a bit weird, Hermione heeded his word and continued on with what she was going to say. "I'm just saying that things could possibly go astray again. I certainly don't think we should go spying again-"

"At least not with you in a dress like that. I can only imagine your reaction if that had been Potter instead of Blaise."

The brunette shuddered. "Yes, it would be quite gross to kiss someone I consider to be a brother. Another reason why we shouldn't spy. Look I can handle Harry just fine, but all we should do is talk to them. This time things turned out disastrous and we are back were we started."

"And we will be further back if they ever figure out it was you. I understand all the same facts you do Granger. So you take Potter, I'll take the space cadet, and we will talk to them."

She looked unsure. "Are you even sure you can talk to Luna and convince her? I've never seen you speak to her before."

Draco recalled finding the girl not long ago in the cold crying; hurt that Potter was again pushing her to the side. Comfort wasn't his thing, but he couldn't just leave her there to freeze to death. He had spoken with her- and even made sure she got something warm in her before sending her on her way. "I can handle it Granger, trust me."

Giving up, she sighed. "If you say so, but I'm guessing this will be just as successful as our last try. And they don't even have a relationship to build off of."

"Maybe that will make it easier."

"Or harder."

He shrugged and stood, snatching up his assorted items. "Either or we'll just have to see. But it's getting late Granger, and if I fall asleep in this little box I fear I will wake up compressed. Owl me in the morning about when you want to put things in motion."

She rolled her eyes. "You're mad." Standing, she watched him pick up some floo powder. "Oh, and Malfoy?"

"Hmm?"

"The next time we go somewhere- anywhere- try not to stare so much. I know we were posing as dates, but didn't my dirty blood ever disgust you?"

To that, he smirked. Without answering her he threw some floo powder down and called out his home, watching her disappear as the network took effect. It was truly going to be a strange thing to work with her.

He would just have to ensure Blaise didn't get close to her anytime soon.


	5. Dances and Spying

**A/n:** It's late, but I have been swamped with work and finals. The semester is over soon though, and I will be back to frequent updates- I hate waiting for two weeks to have the time to post! I hope you readers accept my apology and if you want to go ahead and leave a comment at the bottom. As always, this was super fun to write. Thanks to my beta **Tessa Cresswell**!

* * *

It was nearly a week before anything happened concerning the other couple. Hermione's prediction proved correct when indeed both the manipulators found themselves locked into tedious conversations again concerning a fatal relationship. The brunette nearly gave up the plan entirely, recalling what a pig Blaise turned out to be. Against her better judgment she said nothing about ending the relationship and only listened. She would discuss that with Malfoy- although she had yet to discover why she cared about speaking to him about those matters at all. Ginny was her friend before Hermione was Draco's accomplice, so why did she put so much thought into things? The answer confused even her.

They didn't speak again for some time, since both had other things to attend to. It was by accident that Hermione crossed paths with Harry one day as she attempted to leave her apartment.

"Harry," she said, surprised to see the raven haired boy. He burst in through her floo at the last moment, walking immediately into her kitchen. She followed, setting her things aside. The boy made his way immediately to the liquor cabinet and took out the first bottle he found, uncapping it before taking a large swig. She shuddered as he took four more before she removed it from his hands.

"Just what do you think you are doing Harry James Potter," she barked, crossing her arms. With a flick of the wrist the cabinet shut and locked itself, much to Harry's displeasure. He turned and frowned.

"Why'd you have to take it," he sighed, beckoning to the remaining bottle in her hands. She followed his eyes, watched the desire grown within his iris's moments before he lunged for the item. She narrowly avoided him, but he caught her shoulder and sent them both to the floor, shattering the bottle and spilling the contents. She sighed, feeling the cut in her hand.

"Well Harry," she began, standing up. His eyes followed her as she went, the thin line of blood catching his full attention. "If you weren't acting so barking mad then perhaps I wouldn't have to start barring things in my house from you. What is the meaning of this? You think it's alright to act this way at a friend's house?" She shook her adjacent hand at him. "For shame. Now clean this up, I have to fix my hand." She turned and walked to the table, satisfied with his sigh as he removed the mess. Soon, she was joined at the table.

"I'm sorry," he grumbled, looking down. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

She rolled her brown eyes. "It's only a cut. What I really want to know is what caused this sudden arrival. We haven't talked in ages, and suddenly you're barreling into my home to find a drink." Hermione shook her head. "What's wrong?"

He ran fingers through his tussled hair. "It's Ginny-"

"That certainly isn't a surprise," she said rudely, cursing inwardly at how much the action reminded her of Draco himself. Obviously they were spending too much time together. "What I mean is you and Ginny always have issues between one another. Do you expect anything different?"

Harry groaned. "No, I don't suppose I should. But it wasn't like I intended on seeing her! I was at Ron and Lavender's playing with my godson, when she suddenly came through the floo raging up a storm. I suppose she has been by here already?"

"More than a few times."

"I expected so," he agreed, looking away. "She was probably searching for Lavender, but the moment she saw me she demanded my attention. And I mean- its Ginny, Hermione, I couldn't just say no."

_You can always say no. _"Well, what did you talk about then?" the girl asked tensely, forcing her actual thoughts down. It wouldn't help to get into that debate right now.

With a shrug, he spoke, "She was going on about the last time she went out with Blaise. Apparently he was staring at some slut- her words, not mine. It caused an argument and then he headed off to follow her, and we both know what would've happened from there." The anger in his eyes was evident.

_We most certainly do not! And I knew that damn dress sent the wrong message! If Malfoy had just bloody listened that problem wouldn't even exist. _Searching for words, she attempted to find something to say that wouldn't spur a heated reply. "Blaise seems to be a difficult one to tame-"

"A bastard like that can't be tamed," her raven-haired friend muttered. "She deserves better than what he will give."

She rolled her eyes. Harry had to stop chasing after that girl! With a sigh, she rested her cheek against her hand. "We both know she does Harry, and although Blaise could take care of her and be set for life he chooses to continue to mess things up. But Harry, you also have to try and see things with a clearer eye as well."

A perplexed look crossed his face, and she knew immediately that she had just dove into dangerous territory concerning relationships. Sure, she needed to get there in order to move forward with the plan at all, but now faced with the situation, it seemed quite a bit more difficult to actually speak to Harry about his love life. He was so connected to the wrong person that it was going to be hard to break that bond. "What do you mean?"

She fiddled with the strings on her sweater. "You speak about Ginny as though you want to be the one to give her all of those things." _Don't try and tell me I'm wrong, we both know the truth. _

He shifted uncomfortably. "Well, maybe…"

"Harry," she said sternly, cutting him off, "You can't be serious."

"Why not?"

"Why not? Harry, please don't tell me you've been blocking everything for so long. Ginny is nice to her own extent, but the only time she seeks you out anymore is when she can't have Blaise. Unfortunately, it seems like she is using you as a fallback."

He was out of his seat in a moment, toppling the chair back in his haste. "She isn't using me for anything! She's simply indecisive-"

"Indecisive for months and months though Harry? She isn't daft, she is just manipulative. All I mean to say Harry is that Ginny can be sweet but she can be truly cruel as well. The way she treats you isn't right and it just spirals out to cause more and more issues."

The boy frowned. "Issues? What issues? All she does is try and figure out what her heart is telling her. I know someday she'll remember how we used to feel for one another, back at Hogwarts."

Her eyebrows shot up at what he was saying. "You hope that she will feel the same way that she used to back in school? Harry, the girl's brain has been contaminated by wealth and fame. It all went to her head, and twisted her from the sweet girl she used to be into this manipulative, indecisive bitch. Don't look at me like that- it's true. She jumps around commonly between two very wealthy bachelors- yourself and Blaise- and she has yet to make a permanent decision. You always end up playing the rebound Harry, and your time with her is in no way comparable to her devotion to that bastard. All you are doing right now is hurting yourself."

He stood and walked away. When she thought he planned to leave he spun around and pointed a finger at her. "Is it because she knows how to have fun? Is that why you are saying so many horrible things about her? Hermione, I know that she sees a lot more things than you do, and goes out more, but jealousy-"

She cut him off there, unable to suppress a series of laughs. "Jealousy? You think my analysis is based solely on jealousy? What is there to be jealous about? Harry, she lets the person she thinks she is in love with mistreat her, yet the person she mistreats is the one that loves her. Exactly what am I supposed to be jealous of in that loop? I may not be in a relationship but at least I don't have more than one ongoing one."

Harry glared at her. "I don't need you to tell me how bad Ginny is Hermione, I just hoped that you would let me know what I can do to appeal to her tastes more. Staying with Zabini is only going to get her feelings hurt again."

She felt like the vein in her forehead was going to pop. He was completely disregarding every point that she continued to make, and she could only tolerate this circular argument for so long before she broke out screaming at her moronic friend.

"What about Luna?" she tried, attempting to come at this from a different angel. He looked confused that she even mentioned the blonde.

"What about her?"

_Well Harry, could you be more of a jerk? Maybe you and Blaise do have one thing in common… _"You always turn around a flirt with her and date her whenever something with Ginny goes astray. You use her like Ginny uses you."

Harry scoffed. "I don't use her! She knows that I just… borrow her in order to get to Ginny."

_Is that what you call it? _"Harry, think about how what Ginny does makes you feel. Do you want to always make Luna feel the same way?"

"I don't make her feel the same way! She knows there is nothing behind my actions."

"So you have discussed this with her then?" Hermione inquired, inwardly grinning when he looked ashamed. Good, she at least had him cornered.

"Well, I-"

"See? You might think that things are fine between you and Luna with the way you treat her but the reality of it is that she may not think the same way. Perhaps you should try and sort things out with her first before dealing with Ginny."

He rubbed his head awkwardly, obviously ashamed of being caught in a lie. "Well, maybe I should."

"Yes, you should. You don't want to drag her feelings around the way- like Ginny sometimes does to you and Blaise." She corrected herself before calling the ginger a bitch again. That would only cause them to go in reverse.

"How? That's a bit of a strange thing to bring up in conversation."

The brunette shrugged. "You can figure out a way." She nodded to the fireplace, which Harry was already halfway to. "Go home and think about what you want to do, then send her an owl- Luna, not Ginny. You never know how she is feeling."

He nodded, and after another minute of diluted talk bid her farewell. Hermione waited until he was gone before sighing. Now that that was done, she was going to have to see Malfoy again, and probably soon.

* * *

Draco on the other hand had been setting up actions for weeks. A few mild conversations with Looney over the course of many weeks made it seem far less peculiar when he finally went up to her to talk about Potter. After all, he was a bit interested in seeing Granger again. If he could convince her to go out with him again in something tight it would be totally worth the hours of mindless chatter Luna could spit out. But then, Looney was better than Potter.

"Hello Draco," Looney said as he sat across from her in her office. He suppressed a cringe, hating that she thought it was alright to use his first name.

"Lovegood," he replied, nodding in her direction. He wasn't sure why she liked his first name more, but he certainly would not use hers and accidently let a _'Looney' s_lip out.

"What brings you down here today?" she asked, taking a bite of her lunch. It looked like salad coated in something, but he wasn't about to ask what it was. Instead, he directed their conversations as normal.

"I am wondering about how you are feeling, as usual. Why else do I stop by this office?"

The blonde shrugged, not at all offended by his words. "I'm alright. I went on a date last night."

_That will never do. And why would she think I would want to hear about that? _"Charming. Did you take Potter out?" His usual personality was peeking through now, demanding that they get straight to the point.

Luna frowned at his question. "No, why would I take Harry out?" He could hear the bits of sadness littering her voice, and decided that was a good thing. As she continued speaking, she tried to brighten her mood. "No, I went out with Seamus. He can be quite nice."

_I thought Seamus was married- he's the Irish one, isn't he? I can't tell most of those bloody Gryffindor's apart. _"Why not Potter," he persisted, again wasting no time in getting his point across.

She shrugged, looking uncomfortable now. "Harry has Ginny to run after."

His lip twitched, and he finally let the smirk through. "I quite like the way you phrased that."

The girl shrugged. "It's the truth," she whispered.

"Well, then grab his attention and stop moping in this… this _interesting _office. You won't get anywhere in life unless you learn to grab what you want and run with it."

She smiled lightly at this. "Draco, I'm not sure why you care about my relationships, but that's easy for you to say. Half of Europe wants you and everyone knows your name. You can have whoever you want. Me? I'm a secondhand friend of Harry Potter who can't even get him to pay attention to me unless Ginny had just pushed him away." Luna shook her head. "Our attempts at relationships are in no way the same, and your advice means little. I can't get people the way you do, and I won't. Though I do wonder why you are so interested." She leaned forward, raising a perplexed eyebrow.

He chuckled. "I'm not interested in you if that's what you're inquiring."

"Never would've thought it; I'm not skanky enough for your taste levels."

Draco bit his lip, restraining himself from snapping a cutting remark back at her. "Perhaps if you want to earn Potter's bloody affections, you should make him chase you instead of the Weaselette."

Luna chuckled. "I'm not that flashy Malfoy; no one is going to chase after me. I don't dress expensively and I don't wear stilettoes that make my legs look endless. There's no comparison."

He shrugged. "You could if you tried Lovegood. Or better yet, go and see that bloke- Seamus? Yes, go out with him again."

"Why?"

Draco smirked, "Because, girls are always the most desirable when you know they are off limits."

To this, Luna smiled- just slightly.

* * *

"You do realize that a letter does not become an invitation to come over," Hermione huffed, shaking her head at the blonde lump on her sofa.

"Well why not Granger? We could have gone to eat again, but if people see us together too much they are going to start labeling us as a couple."

Her face blanched. "They would never do that!"

Draco chuckled. "You never know. The media can be a total bitch sometimes."

"I already knew that," she replied sitting on the chair. "Now what moronic plan do you plan to try and enact now."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Oh don't play stupid Malfoy. Last time you thought it would be brilliant for us to go out dressed as a playboy and a slut and spy on Blaise and Ginny. Look what happened with that! It caused more issues between them and I have never felt so exposed."

His expression hardened. "Don't bring it up. We won't repeat that."

She stopped the conversation a moment to study him. His light attitude was gone, replaced again by the usual, tense tone that overtook him whenever she brought up the mishap with Blaise. Why it bothered him so, she couldn't comprehend, but he got easily angered by it and that was something that interested her. He acted as though he was offended by what Blaise attempted.

"You get rather touchy over something that shouldn't really bother you," she commented, watching his face. He raised an eyebrow, monitoring her.

"Like I've said before Granger, I can't believe he molested you- someone of your status I mean. It's wrong and something no one should stand for."

She frowned. "Why?"

"Well because you can't force yourself on people," he explained, shaking his head at her as though that should be obvious. "Blaise has a giant arse head, but he isn't a complete bastard. I just don't believe he actually attempted to do that to you."

"You seem to easily forget Malfoy that he didn't know who I was. I was just another slut- as you so thoroughly made sure- and he bought the appearance I put out. He believed I was one thing, and sought out what he wanted. Of course, I wasn't searching for anything from him."

"Good," the blonde muttered I return.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing Granger," he said, brushing his hair back. "Now I've heard just what you told Potter to do, so what do you propose we do to push them together faster? The sooner dear Weaselette realizes her fallback is gone the sooner she is going to make a decision about whether to remain with Blaise or not. I should've seen this from the beginning."

Hermione scoffed. "If you had perhaps we could've avoided that catastrophe. Like I've said Malfoy, we are not dressing ridiculously again."

"Well of course not. We will be ourselves this time."

To this, she laughed. "You actually think a scandal won't appear in the newspapers if we are seen parading around together? People have already seen us standing outside of a restaurant, what more do you want to give them? It's probably worse for us to be ourselves."

"Ah, so shall we see if it is Potter this time that wishes to shank you?"

Her cheeks colored at that horrific idea, and she looked down. "Perhaps being ourselves is better. Nothing can be mistaken at least."

"At least I know you're not lusting after Potter," he muttered. "Whatever plans those two create, we will make sure to be there. I've gotten friendly with Lovegood lately, so I don't think she will find it too strange if I ask her about her plans."

"How friendly?" the brunette asked, narrowing her eyes. This only caused the blonde to chuckle.

"Not in the way you are thinking. We just speak occasionally- obviously, since I got her to tell me about her thoughts with Potter to begin with. I just make conversation, nothing more. Merlin, she isn't my type."

_You're right, Luna has some self-respect compared to the woman you chase after._ "If you say so Malfoy. Shall we get in touch again when plans are made?"

"I suppose so," he agreed standing. He looked her over once, frowning at the attire. "Must you dress so… boring?"

"At least it covers my body. Now we aren't having a critique about how I dress, so get off with you. Hopefully something will be planned soon enough."

"Yes, hopefully. Oh, and Granger? Do try to stay away from Blaise," he called, grabbing up some floo powder. She caught his arm as he made to leave.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

He grinned, leaning in to breathe on her face. "Nothing." Reaching out, he shoved her back, and as she stumbled he took his leave. By the time she had regained her footing, he was gone.

_You just can't give a straight answer, can you Malfoy?_

* * *

It was only a few days before plans were set in stone. Both Hermione and Draco knew that it would be interesting to see how things went now that Seamus and Luna were going out again, and the fact that they planned to go dancing at a pub only made Hermione uncomfortable. It seemed like more of a way to convince Luna to come home with him, not to promote a healthy relationship. Draco however was ecstatic.

"Just how do you plan for us to go dancing together if you don't want us to be seen near your friends together," Draco inquired, having already dressed for the occasion. Hermione was slipping on some sensible, yet fashionable heels that she could tolerate walking in for many hours and a dress that was flattering but not radiating sex, a fact that did not pass by him. The fact that it was navy however did not appeal to his taste.

"It's a muggle club they are going to; I've been myself a few times. As long as we aren't caught together by them nothing will seem out of the ordinary. If Luna does ask why you are there, say you are looking for someone to take home. It sounds like something you would say."

"Yes, but muggles? I wish they had picked a place with more class."

She walked over, patting his cheek. "Oh, don't worry Malfoy, no club has class. Now we best go or we'll be arriving the same time that they do."

He grinned. "Well maybe you'll get drunk. Perhaps that will make my life a bit better."

Hermione rolled her eyes, turning away. She would certainly not be drinking on that mission.

* * *

The brunette was fairly certain she would die. If Draco jumped one more time to avoid touching another muggle she was going to die of laughter. He looked horrified, and the fact that this place was packed on a Saturday night didn't help anything. It took a lot for her to hold in her giggles.

"I've heard you club all the time. Why are you so afraid of touching people?"

"They're muggles Granger- that means they are even lower than you. I don't want to dance with any of-"

A skinny redhead stopped at the blonde's side, looking him up and down. Hermione held her fruit drink in front of her mouth, suppressing another bout of laughter as she placed her hand on his chest, leaning in to whisper something in his ear. A look of horror crossed his face.

"Sorry, I have a date for that," he lied, pushing her away as he grabbed Hermione's drink. Setting it beside his vodka, he grabbed her arm and pulled her out on the floor full of dancing muggles he had been avoiding. Put out, the girl went on her way.

Hermione finally let herself laugh. "Merlin Malfoy, you look horrified! Was she really that awful?"

He cringed, dancing awkwardly beside her. For someone that picked up girls like men picked up food, he looked rather out of place in this scenario. "Let's say she wasn't shy. Are all muggle women that blatant?"

"No," she declared, not needing to know any more about what the female had said. Peering around, she spotted the people they had come to see to begin with. "Look! There's Seamus and Luna now."

Draco glanced over in the direction she was pointing. Indeed, the duo was dancing together, talking in what appeared to be a happy manner. It was hard to tell through the throng of people just how things were going, but the blonde decided this really was a poor choice for a date; Blaise's destination had been much better. Who wanted to take their date out to watch other people attempt to rub on her from behind? It appeared that it would be more of a hassle than anything.

A man came up behind Hermione, and he was quick to place his hands on her hips and drag her closer, eliminating the space between their bodies. She looked up at him, a perplexed look crossing her features until she felt another form pressing behind her and peered over her shoulder.

"Fuck off," Draco commented dryly, spinning her so that he was between them now. The presence quickly moved away, and when the man did not appear behind her again he relaxed a bit. "This place is horrendous. Why would someone choose this as a place for a date?"

Hermione didn't shove him off, and instead placed her arms around his shoulders and leaned in, peering back at the space she had last seen them. "They must've sat down. I have no idea what made them think of this place, but there isn't much that can be done now. We may as well finish our task." She looked up, noting how close they were. "You know you dance better when you have a partner?"

"I do many things better with a partner," he joked, causing her to roll her eyes. "I'm joking Granger, but Looney and whoever are at the bar now." She peered over her shoulder, finding that he was indeed correct.

"Let's stay here. They are less likely to see us here." He nodded his consent, and they continued to dance, their bodies touching the entire time, though neither said a word about it. Twice they were bothered by someone to change partners, and twice the offer was shot down. They liked dancing that close for whatever reason, and that fact sent little shivers down to Hermione's toes. Why ever would she enjoy close contact like this with him?

"We should sit down," he said at some point, lightly pushing her back. Smirking, she got the idea that drinks were the last thing on his mind, but followed him silently across the bar to a table and sat down.

"So you plan to tell this to Potter… how?" the blonde asked, obviously looking for something to talk about.

She shrugged, waiting for one of the ridiculously dressed shot girls to come over and throw herself at Draco. Now though, she wasn't entirely sure she would laugh at it. "I'll just tell him that Luna told me about her date with Seamus; no reason to be more descriptive than that. If it bothers him, it will be apparent."

Malfoy nodded before glancing back and the bar, and frowned. "Say Granger, whatever happened to the pair we were watching?"

He eyes grew wide and she shot out of her chair, looking around frantically for that telltale head of blonde hair. It was nowhere to be found, and now Malfoy was standing as well, using his advanced height to check more of the area. When he shrugged and gave no response, her expression hardened.

"We were supposed to be watching them- not lose them! I blame it on the dancing."

To this, he outright laughed. "You blame this on some dancing? Granger, you suggested we keep that sensual tone, not I. There were many opportunities to sit down if you were so worried about watching them, but none you took." He reached over and pat her shoulder. "You just got caught up dancing with me." The usual smirk was in place, perhaps a bit bigger than usual.

She pushed his hand off. "Oh shove off Malfoy, I did not. I didn't want to come here and stare the whole time though either. Now since they have departed, we can as well. Unless you prefer to stay in the company of muggles longer than I first assumed?"

His face blanched, and quickly he grabbed her arm. They were out of the bar quicker than Hermione had expected to be, and yet he continued to haul her until they were a good distance away. When he finally stopped, she was smirking.

"The fears you have Malfoy are absolutely ridiculous! You treat muggles like the plague."

"Do you expect anything more," he muttered, glancing around. This didn't look exactly like a bad neighborhood, but there were figures lingering in the shadows that he could not make out the gender- or intention- of. Placing a hand on her waist- something that she seemed to currently find a lot more surprising than he did- he pulled her towards him. "We should get going."

"Yes, probably," she agreed. She was about to bid him goodbye when the git took charge of things, gripping her waist suddenly with the other hand as he disapparated them away. As they were leaving she made out the form of an armed man who had been rushing at them.

A part of her wondered why he didn't just hex the threat. But now she was being taken away, and once they arrived at their destination she intended to ask him just that.


	6. Trespasser

**A/n:** It's late, I know. I just finished typing this chapter! I got called out of state due to an unexpected death just before Christmas and returned recently. I've been putting things in order and I finally got this update done. It strays from the theme a bit, but it's important for Dramione development! Hopefully, you darling readers can forgive me for being so late. Follow me on my facebook by going through the link on my profile, and I hope you enjoy this story as well. It has been interesting to write for sure :D Thanks to my beta **Tessa Cresswell**!

* * *

Her feet touched the ground and immediately she stepped away from the blonde, opening her mouth to yell at him. But any sound that might've left her mouth never came out as she realized where she was. Dark décor lingered behind Malfoy's head, and she swiveled her body to take in the rest of the scene. Yes, she knew exactly where they were and she wasn't happy about it one bit.

Turning back, she rushed at him again and began pounding on his chest. "This is not funny Malfoy," she screamed as he raised his arms to shield himself. "How dare you bring me back here!"

"Calm the fuck down Granger," he hissed, moving quickly to catch her arms. "It was a spur of the moment reaction to being charged at. I didn't mean any harm by it, alright? This is the first place that came to mind; sorry I attempted to keep you safe from the flailing buffoon."

She frowned. "I hardly call a dark figure a _flailing buffoon_. And what makes you think I needed assistance in getting away from him? I am quite a bit more sober than you are, and if you recall I am accustomed to the muggle world, unlike you. I grew up in that world and I would've handled myself just fine."

"Like you handled Blaise," he muttered.

"Actually yes, quite like I handled Blaise Zabini! Even if he couldn't tell it was me, I made it quite clear I didn't like him on my person without any help from you! And how dare you go there? Every time I bring the subject up you jump away from it as though it is the plague- or a muggle. Don't try to blackmail me with something that you can't even stand speaking about." She crossed her arms, glaring at him. "What is your problem with that anyway? You act as though he has insulted you."

Draco closed his eyes and turned away. "I need a fucking drink." Snapping his fingers, a grimy House Elf appeared before him, the creature looking none too frightened but very alert that he was now in the presence of his master.

"What can Jan do for Master," the elf asked, looking eagerly up at the blonde despite his tense attitude. Despite the differences between Master Draco and Master Lucius, it was no secret that the loyal Malfoy elves were still unsure about whether or not Draco's kindness would last forever. He had ages of angry blood flowing through his body, and at any moment they feared he would turn around and wear the same cold, heartless mask Lucius donned for years. Jan tried to ignore the disgusted look on the lady's face beside his Lord.

"I need-"

"You order House Elves around!?" Hermione exploded, throwing her arms up. "Do you know how immoral that is?"

Draco rubbed one eye. "Fuck it. I need a bottle of whiskey Jan, quickly." The elf bowed once and disappeared before Hermione could make another comment with a loud crack. The blonde was quick to get his two cents in. "I believe you have a petition against the use of House Elves or something Granger, but do save it for another time. I don't have the patience to listen to you yammer tonight about… whatever." He brushed past the infuriated brunette, making his way towards a large couch. She turned and glared at him, refusing to sit down.

"I will not be saving it! Those poor creatures are mistreated all the time, and you're one of the people I petition against the most! Would it kill you to treat that poor fellow as an equal?"

To this, the blonde laughed. He attempted to cover the sound over with a cough, but the spreading smile on his lips gave him away. Jan reappeared with the bottle, and Malfoy motioned for him to not leave yet. "Equal? Granger, Jan is perfectly happy with how I treat him now, aren't you?" He glanced at the elf expectantly.

The poor thing nodded his head vigorously, glancing between both the humans with wide, believing eyes. "Yes! Master Draco is most kind, unlike Master Lucius. I am honored to work with him." The creature bowed, and Hermione felt as though she were going to puke.

"Poor thing," she muttered, reaching down to pat its head, "He's brainwashed you."

"Oh Merlin," Draco muttered, uncorking his bottle. Perhaps he would regret drinking uncontrollably in the morning, but for now he would need the buzz just to tolerate her until she departed.

Hermione crouched down to the elf's level, swaying slightly in the heels she had danced in all night. She kept her legs pressed tightly together, and he frowned when it was obvious she would not willingly give a peek of anything. Jan looked startled that she was getting so close. "Now look, you can't let the likes of him tell you what to do! Don't you want to be free-"

"Free!?" Jan glanced at Draco to see if he was angry, but the man looked unfazed as he tipped his bottle back. "Jan cannot be free! I work for the Malfoy's and I am happy!" He hurried away towards the table just to the left of them, where he saw it fit to bang his head upon the wood. "Bad Jan! Bad-"

"Now see what you've done Granger? You've upset my elf." The blonde spoke over the distressed elf, and yanked the girl back when she attempted to go to him. "I'm not quite sure why you strive to ruin every Pureblood's life with that _save-the-fucking-House-Elves_ idea, but quit it. I quite like Jan and you're causing him to put a dent in his head." He stood and brushed past Hermione, who opened her mouth to object.

"Listen here Malfoy-"

"I'd rather not actually," he spat, pausing by the elf. A single tap on his head stopped the repetitive movement and got the poor creature to look up at his Master. "Stop that at once. Don't listen to that crazy woman over there; she's a bit batty-"

"Ferret-"

"Do however go get me two glasses? If she isn't intoxicated then I won't survive another moment in her company."

"Malfoy-" She cut off as the elf apparated away, her eyes widening a bit. "You're stepping all over my ideas- and Jan! What's your problem?"

"My problem," he spat, "is that you are here disrupting the order of my home. Perhaps I should've abandoned you in that street after all to meet whatever horror was coming our way."

"I doubt it was a whore," she muttered, and his eyes only narrowed. The elf appeared once more, noticed the heated argument, dropped the glasses into his Master's hand and left as quickly as he could.

Draco poured them each a glass, but she rightly refused to accept his drink. He shrugged and set it down near her before resuming his original seat. She remained stubborn and standing.

"We need to discuss what to do next," he said at length, stretching. "About the plan I mean."

"Well it's not like I have any other reason to talk to you." She crossed her arms, swaying from foot to foot as her legs began to hurt from walking in the heels for multiple hours. "So what do you have to say about it now?"

"Will you sit," he asked, shaking his head at her motions. When she glared and didn't move, he whispered a spell beneath his breath that sent her soaring into a chair opposite him, her hair falling in her face as she softly hit the piece of furniture. "There, now you don't have to fucking fidget so much."

She shook her hair from her face and glared. "Don't think for even a moment that you have the power to move me as you please Malfoy. I won't stand for it."

"You're not standing now," he pointed out, smirking as her eyes glistened. Well, she was quite angry now and he wouldn't take the hint that it was time to let up.

"What do you want to discuss? If you only plan to mess around as you drink on I will leave right now." She pulled out her wand, but to this he only laughed.

"You think you can apparate out of here? The wards have not changed Granger; only a Malfoy can apparate to and from this place, unless someone else is given permission. It's the same with the floo."

"So I'm stuck here until you decide to let me go? Well, I may as well start crafting inventive ways to get a message to Harry and Ron to come and save me then." She crossed her arms once more, glaring at him and his nearly empty glass. How he could drink such a strong type of liquor with ease was beyond her.

He shrugged. "If you can't stand this place, I will take you home whenever you desire. You're not a prisoner here Granger."

"Not this time." His expression darkened, and she immediately knew she was dancing on dangerous paths. Reaching forward, she snatched up the glass and took a drink just so she would have some way to avoid commenting again. She cringed as the liquid touched the back of her throat, but forced herself to swallow.

"I suppose that's true," he replied, though his teeth were gritted together as he spoke. Taking another sip, he looked on at her again for many moments before replying as he leaned forward, snatching up the bottle again. She watched with intent eyes as he filled his glass to the brim again, not registering what he was saying at first. "It will be bloody fucking hard to get Potter to go with Looney if she is off sleeping with that Irish bloke."

She blinked many times, trying to process what he was saying. "Seamus? I don't know if that's what they went off to do. Luna is actually quite bright when it comes to-"

"When it comes to sex? Something tells me that Looney hasn't had a lot of partners in life Granger, even if she isn't the worst looking girl in Britain. Something about that sketchy, far off personality of hers probably throws most men off. Perhaps that is why Potter doesn't see her as a real girlfriend, but someone to manipulate."

Hermione frowned. "Will you stop talking about Harry as though he is some evil monster? He's confused yes, but he isn't anywhere close to what Ginny has become. If you must slander someone, slander her. She uses everyone, so it isn't as much of an insult."

"I suppose."

"Now back to Luna- and yes, that is her _real_ name- I don't know anything about her… sex life. I tend to not go into depth about those topics with other people."

"Ah," he said, smirking. "Embarrassed to talk to others about what they do in bed, are we Granger?"

She scoffed. "Not exactly. I just don't think it's my business. If I wasn't involved it has nothing to do with me."

"Does that mean you wish you were involved?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Her eyes widened and she took another large drink, ignoring the burn this time. "What? Quit thinking like that Malfoy!"

He chuckled. "Alright, fair enough for now I suppose. I still think though that it might be hard to convince Potter to go with her now."

"Wasn't this date your idea to begin with?"

Draco shrugged. "I didn't think the pair would leave the bar for additional activities. Now that might've been enough of a nudge for Potter. But then, I am giving him a lot of credit. He isn't the brightest bloke out there." That earned him a real laugh, and his eyes narrowed. "Now why are you chuckling?"

"Oh Malfoy, don't be so hard on Harry. You're hardly the sharpest knife in the bunch either." She took another drink, smirking at the irritated look on the blonde's face.

* * *

It didn't take long for conversation to drop from there. What started out as sips to avoid answering the blonde quickly turned into gulps just because Hermione had begun to enjoy the burn in the back of her throat. The blonde sat back in amazement as she continued on to a third glass, wondering how on earth she hadn't passed out already.

He stopped trying to discuss what they would do next. Instead he relaxed in his seat and listened to the brunette ramble, all the while thinking about what to do next in his own mind. Whenever the girl got tired enough he would take her home, but trying to do so while she was still drunk and annoying would do him no good. Earlier he had attempted to save her from falling when she lost balance on those heels, but she ended up hitting him as she fell instead of accepting the help. It was then that he stopped worrying about helping her at all until she calmed down- or fell asleep. Those blasted heels now lay discarded on the floor, having been thrown off when she began complaining about her feet. He was now very glad that she hadn't been drinking while at the club.

The original goal was to team up with Granger to fix other people's relationships all to benefit their own lives; without the complaining friends and constant complications life could be peaceful. And once the pairs decided to either be together or go their separate ways there would be no reason for Hermione and Draco to continue communicating. But recently he found himself growing sad because of that fact. Her company was not always s bore, and sometimes she could provide quite the entertainment.

Like now in her drunken state, or when she was unconditionally angry, like when Blaise chose to be a complete pig. It was during those times when she displayed complete raw emotion that he found her relatable. Looking at Hermione Granger was like looking at someone carved into perfection; pretty enough to get by and smart enough to challenge anyone, sometimes it could be intimidating. Of course, Draco never once felt intimidated by her, but did indeed like the challenge of speaking with her. Unlike so many girls out there, she could actually hold a conversation and display her real emotions without coming across as fake. And with so many fake girls wandering around in society lately, he was grateful for her presence. Something about different, but in a good way.

Even with her muggle blood.

And those bloody friends…

He wasn't quite sure why, but he liked her company. And when they finally did achieve their goal, he would have to bid her goodbye, for why would she stay? Perhaps that was why he planned such ridiculous things…

_Now you must be drunk. Stop thinking so much! It's not helping you one bit._

"Master Draco," someone said, drawing him from his thoughts. Opening his eyes, he looked down to spot Jan again.

"What is it?" he asked, looking around for his glass. He picked it up and downed the rest as the little elf spoke.

"The visiting Misses is upstairs running into all sorts of expensive things. I tried to stop her but she says she must run far far away!" The little elf wringed his hands looking extremely nervous. "She isn't listening-"

But Draco was already up and making his way to the stairs. "I'll find her Jan, just prepare a room."

"Yes Master," the elf replied, popping out of existence again. Draco paid the sound no mind as he reached the stairs and began to climb. He should've noticed that it had gotten quiet, but he was too lost in his thoughts to notice much of anything, and lingering in that spot between awake and asleep had been very pleasant until he learned that his guest was currently breaking things.

_Maybe she isn't the best company after all._

It didn't take as long to locate her as he wished it had. Even in his state of mind he could easily follow the broken items down the halls, marking the path she had taken. It was not every item in a hall that now lay in shards, simply one or two. There would be words in the morning about how much money she was breaking. Rounding a third corner he noticed her crouched at the end of the hall.

"Bloody hell Granger, you really did travel a ways," he called, walking towards her. As he neared he noted that she was hiding from him, her arms held up defensively towards him. "Now just what do you think you're doing?"

He reached forward to grab her arm, but the moment he brushed her skin her nails were out, clawing him away. He retracted his hand quickly, glaring down at her. She looked like she was hiding.

"Stop playing around Granger, it's getting late. Didn't you want to go home or something?"

She gave no reply, and instead nestled further into her corner without bothering to look at him. He groaned, cussing under his breath as he took a seat beside her. He could rip her out of the corner and drag her down the hall, but he feared that would only upset her mind more. What was bothering her anyway?

"This floor is painfully hard; you sat where the rugs fail to touch. Doesn't your arse hurt yet?" Again, no reply came and he sat back, placing his hands behind him. "You're quite difficult, aren't you?"

She shrugged lightly, and he smirked. Well, it was a response at least- though he wished she would drop the act and talk. "What's wrong Granger? Has the alcohol gotten to you, or perhaps you finally realized you've been drinking and that alarmed you more?" Another shrug was all he got, and he sighed. This time it wasn't enough of an answer.

He folded his legs, sitting back up again as the silence set in. It was obvious she wasn't asleep- her muscles were too tense- but she wasn't speaking either. "Fine, I guess we'll just have to sit here until you decide to talk to me."

And that's exactly what they did. He adjusted once more during the next half hour they sat there, moving so his back rested against the wall hers also leaned against. At some point he closed his eyes, but his ears stayed alert. He never once heard her leave, and it was only when he opened his eyes again that he dared to touch her. This time, she did not claw at him.

She was asleep.

"Jan," he said, watching as the elf appeared before him. "What room did you prepare?"

"The one across from Masters," the elf replied, glancing at the girl for a brief moment.

Draco sighed. "Take her to mine; forget about that other room for a moment."

"Yes Master."

"And Jan," the blonde continued as he stood. Jan looked back at him as he neared the girl. "Where exactly is Blaise hiding?"

The elf shrank back a bit. "His guest room, Master. He went there after scaring the Misses."

Malfoy nodded once, before turning away. "Take her to the room and lock it. I'll have you open the door again once I've had a talk with him." Jan bowed behind Draco, but gave no response as the blonde hurried away, searching for the unexpected guest.

* * *

"You did what?" he asked flatly, crossing his arms. Blaise sat across from him in a chair, a glass of whiskey in his hand. He must've called upon an elf earlier to bring some up. They now sat in the room he sometimes took over when parties came up, or just for the hell of it. Problem was, it was only one door down from where he had just sent Hermione.

"I didn't mean to," he cautioned, looking the blonde straight in the eyes. "I didn't even recognize her. I thought perhaps she was another one of those women you bring home for a night-"

"She's not," he snapped. "I intended to take her home whenever she calmed down a bit, but then you had to go and scare her to death!"

"I wasn't trying to," he snapped again. "I didn't think someone like Granger would be so jumpy."

Draco's expression darkened. "She doesn't have the fondest memories of this place. She was alarmed I brought her here to begin with. Though whatever propelled her to go looking around is beyond me." He leaned back. "You shouldn't have attempted to scare her though, no matter who she was."

"It was meant as a joke! I didn't think she would be that frightened." The Italian reached up, rubbing the new scars on his face. Her nails weren't long, but she knew how to leave a decent mark. He still couldn't figure out why she hadn't used her wand.

"And then you just let her run off, without doing anything about it? You could've gotten me to search for her, or you could've tried to calm her down yourself. Do you know how many things she broke in an effort to get away from you? Those antiques are irreplaceable, and I blame _you_ for their destruction." He shook his head. "No matter who she was, you should respect my guests more than that. Don't ever try that again."

Blaise's eyebrows shot up. "You intend to bring her back here?"

Draco leaned forward. "Don't try it on _anyone_ so long as you are in my home. If you prefer to scare the guests of your Manor then fine, do just that, but do not unleash the same unpleasantries on mine. This isn't funny. I had to wait for her to fall asleep before I could move her off the floor."

This seemed to spike his friend's interest, and the Italian leaned back with a smirk. "And where is she now?"

"That doesn't concern you. You shouldn't even care."

"No, I probably shouldn't," he agreed, studying his friend, "Though I do wonder why it piques your interest so much. It's just Granger, and if I recall you two have never been friends. In fact the last time I can think of the two of you being together is at the reunion. Now what would spike your interest enough to bring her back here?" He waggled his eyebrows. "Are you getting any from the Gryffindor Princess?"

He wanted to smack Blaise very hard. The dolt only ever had one thing on his mind it seemed- no, two. Ginny, and sex, be it his sex life or that of others. It was increasingly annoying, and even though nothing at all was happening between himself and Granger he did not want the git getting the wrong idea. "Like I said before Blaise, it's none of your fucking business. Tell me why you've come here or get out."

"Touché," the Italian said, shaking his head. "I came by to bitch about Ginny, but this situation is far more interesting. I never expected to find her."

"Obviously. I don't have the time to pretend I enjoy being your therapist Blaise; I have to go and see if you've damaged Granger's mind by scaring her. Don't you care about anyone? People's fears are easy to use against them, but that doesn't mean you should."

Zabini frowned. "You seem very angry that I have frightened her. If you're not fucking her- though I don't know what else would cause the two of you to hang around each other- then you shouldn't care so much. She'll bounce back by the time sunrise hits, I'm sure. Whatever happened here couldn't have scarred her too much."

"You never know," he replied with a shrug. _I don't want you to know. _

They chatted a bit more while Draco continued to try and urge Blaise to leave. At length, his troubles paid off and his mate agreed to leave, giving the blonde some time to make sure Granger didn't intend to sue him before sending her on her way. That didn't stop the questions though.

"I still wonder what you two are doing together," Blaise said as they headed to the floo.

"We're just handling things," the blonde replied, beckoning with his hand towards the fireplace. The guest finally got the hint and turned to leave.

"I expect an answer someday to what you two are really doing."

"Perhaps if a time calls for it, you will learn." Draco smirked at the Italian's perturbed look as he grabbed some floo powder. "I will get ahold of you later."

"Indeed," Zabini agreed, dropping the floo powder as he announced his destination. Draco didn't move until he was sure Blaise had left, and then he proceeded to block the floo until further notice. He was going to end up in a long argument with that girl as it was.

He breathed deeply. Silence littered the air again, something he had not heard in many hours. His drinking from earlier had not evolved into a headache yet, but he knew that would come soon enough. He was going to need to go and check on Granger now, whom he hoped was still fast asleep.

As agreed, Jan opened the doro to his bedroom, disappearing before Draco could say thank you. As he pushed open the door, he swore at what he saw. She wasn't asleep after all, but instead sat in bed with her knees hugged to her chest, cheeks stained in dried tears. He expected her eyes to be frightened, but when he looked up into them that was not what he found.

Anger boiled beneath the surface, uncontrolled anger that wanted to jump out. He wondered why she didn't convey these feelings into words, but as he drew closer she drew back. Obviously Blaise's simple joke was not being taken lightly.

"I suppose I should explain then," he said stuffing his hands into his pockets. She nodded just once, and he sighed.

_It feels like tonight just won't end. _

* * *

**A/n: **Thoughts? I'm curious as to what you're thinking!


	7. Extended Vacation

**A/n:** It's late, and I'm really sorry! My computer was sold, and it's a big long story you people don't care about but long story short I basically only have internet access at my boyfriends and I can't get all the chapters written at the same speed there. This story is drawing to an end though, so at least you guys don't have to be subjected to slow updates for too long! I'm thinking less than five chapters remain, but we'll see! Thanks to my beta **Tessa Cresswell**!

* * *

It was uncomfortable to apologize to Granger for Blaise, especially when he had just finished screaming at the Italian. Whatever problems came from that in the morning would have to be handled, but for the moment he had an angry, perhaps still frightened witch to calm. Explaining that Blaise thought she was someone random he was going to sleep with was more than a bit awkward, and he was thankful when his explanation finished and she said she understood.

However she still remained in his bed, and that was a problem. If he planned to sleep in his own room he would be damned if he slept on the floor to make _her_ comfortable. He'd rather just move her to another room and get on in life.

"Granger," he finally said at length, looking at her through the corners of his eyes, "it's so late, and I do need to sleep-"

"You want your bed Mudblood free," she spat, jumping out of the soft haven. He was startled that she moved quickly, and moved his eyes elsewhere for one time only as she adjusted the difficult hem of her dress. When he did look at her again, she was glancing down.

"Hey," he said, standing with her, "Don't think about him. He's come here, done the same things before, and usually the women are so cheap Granger that they enjoy."

Her head shot up. "You thought I _enjoyed_ that!? The last time he tried some bullshit like that I had control over the situation and shoved him off and told him what a horrible person he was. This time… this time I didn't know who was there." She shrugged. "I have no good memories of this place, and men jumping out of the shadows so they can grab me and kiss me is not something I call enjoyable. Maybe the people you know like it rough and dangerous like that, but I do not appreciate his behavior whatsoever."

"I understand," he drawled, unwilling to get into an argument at the late hour. "I'll talk to him again when we next meet, but if you are so frightfully unhappy with what he did then perhaps you should avoid any meetings with him for a while. Meaning, if we make any more plans for Ginny and him-"

"I'm not making any more plans to get them together," she snapped, shaking her head. "If he wants her, he should work for her. This is the second time he's come after me-"

"He didn't know it was you the first time."

Her glare hardened. "Blaise needs to make himself into a better man if he thinks he deserves her. And Ginny needs to make a decision. Our interference can only go so far, as we have clearly proven. We just need to take a break for a few days and see how things set themselves up."

His jaw tightened. "Are you sure that's a good idea? It could be a pain in our arses longer than we prefer then."

Hermione just shrugged. "I don't care; I'm tired of drinking your alcohol and this place and the entire situation, and I want time to myself. Where is your floo? I will be going home now, and don't you dare try to contact me tomorrow Draco Malfoy. I've seen enough of you too for today. Let's just leave things alone for a bit, shall we? Don't you dare try to contact me tomorrow because my floo will be closed; I want no visitors. I just want time to myself."

He withheld what he wanted to say, thinking it would only make her more irritable. She talked about wanting to go home and be alone, and it made him consider that maybe the things with Blaise affected her a bit more than she let on. That, or she was planning a terrible revenge on the Italian and Draco pitied the boy if that were the case. Either way, he thought it was best not to push things- at least for now.

"You can use my personal one," he said, nodding to the fireplace on the far wall. His suite was so large she had ignored it until now, and still slightly affected by the drinks she walked haphazardly over to the spot, thanking him once there.

"I'll leave my fireplace open to you," he said, noting how her eyes widened a fraction at what he said. "You say you don't want to talk but in case you change your mind, you can reach me through here. I'll modify it to allow you through. If I'm not in here though when you arrive call Jan and he will let you know where I am or if I'm in. If you prowl the Manor you'll almost certainly get lost. I used to get lost for ages until I memorized the halls."

She only nodded, surprised at his offer. They bid each other goodbye, and then she was off. It was only after he knew she was gone that he sighed.

_Artifacts to repair and a floo to modify? I won't be sleeping at all tonight._

* * *

Luna Lovegood felt cheated. Her date with Seamus had been great- exceptional really- but even after a long night in bed with him she still felt empty inside. He didn't make her see fireworks or make her body heat up into flames; they worked well enough together, but there was simply no passion between them.

She knew his feelings were mutual when he coldly bid her farewell the following day, declaring that it wouldn't work out because they didn't heat up right in bed. Quite insulted, she went in search of Hermione. But the girl was unable to visit because her floo was blocked, and the hopeful blonde decided to take a chance to talk to Harry by going to his flat.

It was a big mistake going there.

Arriving, she instantly heard giggling. The sound was familiar, and her heart dropped a bit. The sound came from upstairs, and despite everything her mind was telling her she peered into the open bedroom door anyway.

There lay Harry and Ginny- covered by nothing but sheets- kissing and Ginny would occasionally giggle. He moved to kiss her neck and her head fell to the side. It was then that she saw the peeping tom and clutched at the sheet around her naked figure.

"Harry," she exclaimed, drawing his attention. His head whipped around in time to spot long blonde hair following its owner as she turned away.

"Shit," he muttered, moving away from the girl at his side. He had been meaning to speak to Luna about her choice in dates since he heard a rumor from Ron that she was planning to go out with Seamus, and now it was going to be a lot harder to do since she caught him in bed with someone he knew she didn't much like anymore. He felt like a right bastard now.

The ginger however didn't seem to be bothered now that she knew they were no longer being watched. Leaning over, she pressed her lips back to his own again only to be shoved away. Put off, she crossed her arms and glared, letting the sheet slip down as he jumped out of bed entirely.

"What are you doing?"

"I need to talk to her," he said abruptly, searching for his discarded trousers. When he could not locate them around her ridiculous dress, he cast the idea of locating them aside and went on to find another pair in his drawer, throwing them on instead.

"She's probably already left," the ginger said, tossing her red hair. "Why don't you talk to her later, when you're not busy?"

"I'm not busy now," he muttered, leaving the room. He left an infuriated girl in his wake, but at that exact moment he couldn't focus solely on her. He needed to get to Luna.

"Hey, Luna!" He hurried down his stairs when he saw that she was about to floo away. "Luna wait!"

"Oh, go back upstairs," she bit out, snatching up some powder. She rubbed at her face, and even from behind her he got the strangest feeling that she had been crying.

His hand caught her shoulder as she was preparing to leave. Turning, she glared daggers into him as he tore the powder out of her hand, scattering it across his living room floor. "Luna, wait. We must talk."

"We have nothing to talk about," she spat, trying to pull her arm free. Instead he hooked his other around her midsection and picked her up, removing her from the floo as he took her place and set her down. She tore away from him and took a step back, furious. "You can't just make me stay here!"

He held up his hands. "I don't mean to make you! I just think we should talk-"

"I don't want to talk to you!"

Harry frowned, looking her up and down. "What's wrong? You're so upset, but we haven't even talked yet. Look, I know you don't really get along with Ginny, but-"

She reached out, slapping him across the face before he could say another word. Stunned, he stared at her, rubbing his cheek in the aftermath. She herself took a step back, eyes still livid.

"Don't talk about her, I don't want to hear about her, what you two do, anything!" The blonde looked furious. "And I don't care what you want to talk to me about. I don't care if you have a problem, if it's something about me, Ginny, anyone! I don't want to deal with _you_."

He blinked. "What did I-"

"Shut up," she whispered, shaking her head. "Don't even finish your question. I can't stand your stupidity today."

The boy's eyes narrowed a bit. "It's stupid that I want to talk to you?"

"Never. If I weren't in this mood right now I might be stupid myself and listen. But I can't stand you right now."

"Why? What's bothering you so much? I heard that you went out with Seamus last night-"

"How do you know that? How the fuck would you ever know that if you were too busy playing in bed with _her_."

Harry paused then. He could not recall a single time when he had ever heard her curse, and the fact that she did so while speaking about Ginny really threw him off. It was uncomfortable to know that she was hinting at his sex life, and more importantly at the sex life he occasionally had with his Hogwarts love. Of course he still had extreme feelings for her, but after last night he needed time to put things into perspective.

With Ginny, there had always been a spark, even in their younger years. Kissing her as a teenager had been pure bliss, and every time before when they hopped into bed it was magical. In the aftermath of their play he would always picture something more- something magical like an actual _relationship _forming, but it never happened. Even after Ron got married and made it very clear to him that his sister was playing an indecisive tease, he still hoped that something could be formed between them.

But since his conversation with Hermione, his mind had been tortured. She pointed out many things he often ignored, and it was difficult to accept that someone else saw how awful he was to Luna. But he didn't really treat her bad, did he? They fooled around, they played, but it was only for fun. Nothing would flourish like it sometimes did between him and Ginny, and the boy was pretty sure Luna understood that.

Looking at her now, it was blatant that she was hurt by what she found. Angry- or maybe hurt, he wasn't sure- tears threatened to spill down her face, and she had a wand gripped so tightly in her hand that her knuckles were turning white. She just glared at him, shaking slightly in the aftermath of what she had just screamed. They both knew the girl upstairs would've heard her outburst, but he got the feeling that Luna no longer cared about the ginger- maybe she never had.

They were completely different girls, one with blonde locks that looked so similar to that of his enemy, and another with fiery waves that represented the same hair color as his best mate. One would think he would easily fall for the girl he had known longer, and that was exactly what he had done. Instead of really ever trying to love or seduce the blonde in front of him, he had only ever used her to his own advantage. The effects of such mistreatment were awful.

He opened his mouth to say something, but soft footfalls stopped him. Glancing back, he noted that his ginger bedmate had finally braved the raging war outside his room, though her slim body was only covered by a sheet- and sheer at that.

"Harry," she cooed, in a way that had always made his skin crawl, "Are you finished yet?"

"You're not helping matters Ginny," he snapped, glaring at her. "I believe you didn't even want to leave the bed when I mentioned coming to talk to her. So do you mind if we finish our conversation in peace?" Behind him, the blonde wanted to smile but restrained herself. Harry didn't love her, and she realized that nothing would apparently change his mind, even this. He may want to finish their conversation privately, but she got the feeling it would only break her heart in the end.

The ginger glared, adverting her gaze from the owner of the home to the intruder. "Could you possibly find a different time to speak with him? You rudely barged in and interrupted, and I would be very appreciative if you would wait to continue until after I have left."

Luna felt her cheeks boil. The rich life that came courtesy of being a renounced war hero had eaten away at Ginny's heart, leaving a shriveled, self-centered core in its place that seemed to not care at all for anyone else's needs but her own. The sweet girl from school had died some time ago, quite possibly when she let Blaise Zabini into her life. He was arrogant and pompous, and his attitude had clearly rubbed off on the once kind girl. Now Ginny was just as cruel and careless as he was.

"No Ginny," she snapped, making sure the girl could clearly hear her past her own ego, "That's quite unnecessary. I doubt I need to speak to Harry any further."

From the corner of her eyes, she saw the boy's eyebrows shoot up. "What?"

"You heard me," she snapped, tossing her hair. "We have nothing left to discuss. I don't know what possessed me to begin with to make me come here, but it was certainly a mistake. This place is horrid, and having your personal whore here is no better. I should've known that you would crawl back to her when she decided to return- you always do." She shook her head, pocketing her wand again. "Thinking I would get help here was my own mistake, and I'll take credit for that. I just keep making the same mistakes, so I don't know why I thought today would be different than other days." She angled her eyes back at the girl, who looked slightly shocked. "You can have him; I'm just wasting time these days."

"Ginny," Harry asked, perplexed by her mood swing. Did dealing with the ginger really put her off so much? "I-"

"Save it," she snapped, picking up some floo powder. "I don't care to hear it." She called out a destination, ignoring Harry as he called her name again. She disappeared into the smoke before he could get much out.

The silence following Luna's departure was suffocating. Harry didn't quite know what to say, or what to think. She got miffed sometimes, but he had never actually seen her leave out of pure anger. She was always quiet, calm, collected. Ginny was the angry one, the one that stormed from one place to another. Seeing Luna look so flustered and upset got the gears in his mind turning, and he stared at the fireplace long after it had grown cold.

An arm slinked itself around his middle, and the fit form of a female plastered itself to his side. "Well at least she's gone now," Ginny muttered, leaning up to bite his neck. But he didn't enjoy her affections for once, and shoved her off.

"Quit," he spat, crossing his arms. "Haven't you gotten the point that I'm not interested right now? If you're looking for a lay, perhaps you should go see Zabini."

Her eyebrows shot up at what he said, but it didn't seem that Harry was paying attention to his own words as he turned away. Never before had he actually suggested that she go back to the Italian, yet now he was practically tossing her in his direction. She stood rock still as he left for the kitchen, never once glancing back. After a few moments, she moved to go back upstairs.

He found her later, dressed as though she prepared to go but didn't, lying on his bed fast asleep. The makeup that had blurred earlier because of sweat had run down her face, leaving the telltale marks of tears. He didn't offer her comfort, just bypassed the girl and went to the bathroom to shower. Ginny never cried for him- never would- but he knew she could not stomach rejection under any circumstances. She was shallow, and it ate away at her once enjoyable personality.

Ginny never got rejected because she was headstrong and pushed her way towards what she wanted, and Luna often got rejected because she had some humanity and didn't crush people's feelings. Flipping on the water he shed his clothes and stepped in, not caring at all that the water was a searing pain against his skin. He just wanted to wash all his thoughts away.

He wanted a bit of solitude to think.

* * *

It occurred to Draco directly after Hermione left that nothing about _why _Blaise did it was ever explained, but it wasn't until two days later that he made any effort to explain. And there were many reasons he went to see her at her home, traveling the route they had taken only once from the café down the street, and knocked on her door in a _muggle _neighborhood.

The first was the most obvious reason, what with so many things having not been said. He felt guilty that she knew nothing like she deserved to and decided to make up for it by explaining. The second was that after his initial blow up with Blaise about the money she broke, it had occurred to him that he could fix it and everything was right in order again. He figured it might ease her mind a bit to know nothing was damaged, or at least open up the conversation to bring Blaise up. He knew how unhappy she was with him, and so was Draco. Blaise pushed his boundaries far too much.

On another note, he was interested to know why she had been avoiding work since returning to her flat. He knew she was irritated- and scared at some point- but Hermione was not one to miss work for anything, and it was a bit concerning. When he walked the long halls of the Ministry he passed Weasley and Potter, and they were speaking in low voices about being concerned about her as well. No one threw any jabs at each other that morning.

And the last thing bugging him was his employee Luna. She had been to work yesterday morning, then skipped the rest of the day and today. It was nearly noon and that behavior without a reason was unacceptable. He knew she had an obsession with Boy Wonder, but he needed her to work. Besides, if he brought that up with Hermione she may just have a fit.

Though that conversation would be unpleasant, it would get them back on track to being proper relationship Gods, if she still wanted to be one.

All of those accumulated things led him to go against his better judgment and brave the muggle infested streets of Hermione's version of London, just to pay the witch a visit. Even knocking on her door concerned him, and the moment he was done he pulled out a cloth and wiped his hand upon it. If he planned to frequently visit the fucking witch, the muggle business was going to take some getting used to.

She answered and did a double take, unsure whether or not she was actually seeing this. "I do have a floo system you know," she said, shutting the door for a moment before it opened to let him in.

"You have it blocked," he remarked, having already tried that method.

Hermione blinked, throwing her curls around as she hurried about the room. He watched her as she moved about. "I guess I forgot to take down the barriers. Oh, if I had done that yesterday none of this would've happened!"

She hurried across the room, picked up a book and placed it neatly into a suitcase. Inclining an eyebrow, he followed her as she moved down the hall towards the bedroom. "Are you planning on going somewhere?"

"Oh, I have to go see Luna because she's having a mid-life crisis."

He bit his lip, suppressing the urge to chuckle at that. They were in their early twenties, and far too young to have a crisis of any sort. A smaller bag sat in this room, one which she was shoving ungodly amounts of clothing into.

"And where is she? She has a floo as well. Those things really are handy you know, when they are used properly."

The brunette stopped what she was doing to glare over her shoulder at him. "No one at work informed you?"

"Informed me of what?" He tilted his head, not at all sure he was going to like where this was going.

She pushed the back aside to sit on the bed, brushing her hair to one side. "Luna's gone on an extended vacation. She left late last night for Italy, leaving a note with Ron that she doesn't want anyone to follow-"

"Then doesn't that make all this packing and running about a bit redundant?" He beckoned to her room, and the girl's expression hardened. "If she doesn't want you to follow, shouldn't you give her space?" _It's not going to help the plan one bit, but it might make Looney feel a bit better to be left alone for a while. _

She crossed her arms. "She went to Harry's yesterday when I had my floo blocked and found Harry and Ginny. They ended up arguing and I guess he really hurt her and she left. She went to Ron's a while later and dropped off a letter for me- which he owled over- saying that she was going on an extended trip, and just left." The brunette shook her head again. "I don't know what's gotten into her. She's had plenty of issues with Harry but she's never reacted like this before."

Draco's eyebrows drew together. "And you think following her the day after will help? I'm sure you feel guilty- and you should, since you're the one that kept your bloody floo closed- but if she wants space, give it to her. If she hasn't returned in a week or something, then you should worry about her."

The girl threw her hands up. "It's my fault! If my floo had been open she wouldn't have needed to go to Harry's to begin with. They talk, but never about deep things." She shook her head, leaning over to shove her face into the pillows. "Mmmm hm mrm mm-"

Malfoy rolled his eyes, walked over, grabbed her shoulders and flipped her on the bed so she was looking up at his leaning form. "What was that?"

Rolling her own, she sat up and gave him a light shove back. "I said, I shouldn't have blocked my floo to begin with."

"Ah, yes… I certainly got that through your pillow talk." He sat beside her, taking the dainty bag in his hand to throw into her closet. "You're overreacting, just like she did." Falling back lazily on her bed, he rested his hands behind his head as her cheeks heated up in irritation. "Looney's smart- as are you- so I'm sure she'll start acting rationally in a few days. Who knows Granger, there may not be a need for you to go get her at all. Maybe all Lovegood needs to get over Potter is a week with a bunch of people that look like Blaise."

They both cringed. That would only make things _worse. _


	8. Alessio

**A/n:** Another late chapter, sorry guys! I almost had a horrifying incident with my dog destroying my flash drive that this and all my stories live on, but thankfully it survived! So here's chapter eight, and we are making our way to the end. I would say about 3-5 chapters left. Thanks to my beta **Tessa Cresswell**!

* * *

A week passed faster than anyone wanted to believe. The amount of times that Draco and Hermione contemplated what would happen next grew to ridiculous proportions, until about day five when he refused to have the same conversation with her again. It did nothing though to ease her nerves, and for the next two days she sat back and watched her circle of once tightly knit friends fall into complete disarray.

Ron was in the best situation as far as she could tell. He had a wife and no reason to be attached, except for his morals to be loyal to his friends- and Ginny. Harry fretted a lot about Ginny- who returned on more than one occasion to his apartment to try and repeat their play earlier in the week- seeing Luna again and messing things up further. He was dense, but at least the past week had brought things into perspective for him. After Ginny went right back to being a heartless bitch just after Luna's upset departure, he did start realizing that her heart had grown a thick stone exterior, one which seemed to not know how to accept real emotion anymore.

But mostly, Hermione worried about the blonde girl. Merlin knew what she was doing in Italy, and who she was with. Certainly the people there would be easy on the eyes, considering many of Blaise's own family lived there- and everyone knew about his fantastic looks. She dreaded going to Italy- or having Luna return- just to find another arse laced on her arm, ready to discard her as quickly as Blaise discarded Ginny. It gave her headaches to think about too much.

As the week drew to a close though, Hermione found herself awaiting the blonde's arrival in her home, having scheduled a time with Draco to meet and talk. She fidgeted the entire time, wondering why she continued to confide in the same man that started this ridiculous plan.

When he did finally arrive, the blonde looked beyond irritated. He stomped un-ceremonially through her living room without a glance in her direction and made himself right at home on her couch.

"Hello," she replied, cocking an eyebrow in his direction. He huffed in return. "Well, aren't we just peachy today?"

He looked up at her and glared. The girl looked quite calm sitting in her chair, legs crossed and feet propped up on the table. The last bit threw him off, for he had never taken the girl as someone who easily put their feet up on tables. It just wasn't an action that seemed like Granger.

"No, we're not actually," he snapped. "Do you know how annoying it is to listen to your best mate bitch about some fucking red-haired tramp that can't stay satisfied for more than a few minutes? It's his own bloody fault that he constantly turns away, because he is a complete arse to her!"

She reached up, rubbing her temples. If that was how they were going to begin this discussion, then things were not going to go well.

"Yes actually, I do. Considering that is the foundation of this horrendous plan of yours in the first place, I'm quite familiar with it." To this, he shut his mouth. She waited for the sarcastic comeback, but it never came. Vaguely, she recalled the blonde's irritation with his friend the last time they had spoken about him, all of which circled around his out of control behavior with her. Maybe that was why he wouldn't speak further on the topic.

"Luna's been gone a week now," she said at length, dropping the Italian from their conversation at least for the time being. "I agreed to wait a week with you on the off chance that she would return, but so far I haven't even heard from her. Your hope that she would return is faulty, and I only requested your audience to inform you that I am going to go and get her. This behavior is not exactly characteristic of her, and I'm worried."

Draco frowned. "It's Italy, not the United States. It's not that awful there. I've been there a few times myself."

"That's not what I mean," she snapped. "Luna is a capable witch, I know that. But she waited around so long for Harry that I'm concerned about her long absence, and more so about how she is working things out in her mind. I'm not entirely sure how she is working things out without anyone to confide in."

"Well, she could always talk to one of the Italian men we were so worried about."

The brunette's expression hardened. "Weren't you the one that got worried about that to begin with? You brought it up in the first place, so why joke about it now?" In response he just threw his hands up, and she could tell he was quite frustrated- just like her. Perhaps inviting him over to talk through things wasn't the best idea.

"Look, the point is-"

She cut her own sentence off as the floo roared to life, and they both peered over to see who had arrived. Out stepped Harry, looking quite distressed. For a moment she thought something terrible had happened, until he spoke.

"I have to go find Luna, Hermione."

Correction; something bad was in the making.

"Harry," she began, just as his eyes settled on the blonde sprawled on the couch. "Look-"

"What's he doing here?" He glared at Malfoy, who only scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Potter, I do have a name. And before you jump to absurd conclusions, I was invited here."

"I doubt it."

"Harry!" Her voice was louder this time, and finally her naïve friend paid her some attention. He had only given her a brief glance since noticing Draco. "He is welcome here."

His eyebrows shot up. "Hermione," he began, "Are you sure that's a good idea."

"Yes," she bit out. "And no Harry, I will not be discussing nor explaining my reasoning to you. Just accept that." He looked slightly shocked that she was throwing away the topic so quickly, but didn't worry about it for long. "Now what gives you the idea that you should go find Luna?"

"I'm the reason she's upset; I should be the one to make it right."

Draco scoffed at that. "Took you that long to figure it out, did it? It would've saved many people a lot of trouble if you had come to your senses sooner."

His eyes narrowed. "How would you know anything about what I've been doing, Ferret?"

"Never mind," Hermione replied, ending the argument before it could begin. "That's irrelevant. I do agree though Harry, don't you think you've done enough?"

Immediately, the raven-haired boy's face fell, and Draco couldn't conceal a smirk at her words. "I need to fix this," he said quietly.

"No you need to stay out of this, at least for now. Harry, she's hurt and angry. You're probably the last person she wants to see. Let me go and bring her back, and if she is _willing _to speak to you I'll see to it. But for now just step back, alright? There has been enough drama between you, Ginny and Luna to disturb anyone, so please let me do this alone. I want Luna back just as much as you do, but for now let me handle it alone."

Harry may have been stubborn, but in that moment he looked very defeated. Of course he knew by then that he treated the girl horribly, but that didn't change his mind about fixing things. He knew it had to be him that made the apologies, not Hermione.

"I have to speak to her," he said definitely. "If you go alone she might think you're lying just to trick her into coming back. I need to speak to her."

"Then I'm not going with you Harry," she relented, collapsing further into her chair. "I won't watch whatever mess comes from this."

Her words didn't seem to deter him one bit however. "Then I'll do it on my own. Thanks for listening, Hermione." The last bit was said sarcastically, and she knew he was bothered that she wasn't committed to helping him with this. She thought it would be more damaging than anything. But still, she didn't say anything as he turned and left as quickly as he had come.

A silence slipped over the room then. She reached up to rub her temples, dreading the problems to come. Now she certainly had to go to Italy- and the sooner the better- and there was a chance she would encounter Harry there, also searching for Luna. Merlin, things were going to be difficult.

"Potter never did listen to anything," Draco said, breaking the silence. She didn't even glance his way as he stood and stretched, letting out a yawn- though it was still semi early. "I suppose I better go pack something then."

That drew her attention. "Excuse me?"

"Well I'm sorry Hermione," he said, giving her a quick wink, "But do you really think I'm going to remain here with Weaselette and Blaise while you go gallivanting off in Italy, watching Potter chase pathetically after Looney? You're a fool if you do." He grinned. "I'm coming along."

She threw her hands up. "Who invited you!?"

To this, he chuckled, rubbing her head. She smacked him away, and he just rolled his eyes. "I did. And besides, how do you plan on handling this situation alone?"

"I'll figure out a way."

"Well, lucky you! Now you don't have to." His body jumped up, and all signs that the boy had been a grouchy, irritable person minutes ago were gone now. "I say we leave tonight, that way we make certain we beat Potter there. So as I said, I best start packing."

"Now wait-"

But the git wasn't listening, and just like Harry he jumped to the floo, taking powder as quickly as he could and left. She sat there fuming in the living room, glaring at her fireplace.

_Men are absolute arses. No one seems to listen to me._

* * *

Italy is a rather beautiful place. Hermione recalled her first impression of Hogwarts as being magical and unbelievable and looking on at this magical portion of Italy brought her the same thoughts. She had visited France once with her parents, but only the muggle version. Something about seeing the magical side of a country was more enticing in her mind than the muggle- though both were full of facts and historical sites that she was eager to look into.

But all that would need to wait. Figuring out where Luna was ended up being easier than she expected- but, maybe that was because she was staying at an inn owned by Draco's family. It sickened her that he had such large business plants in other countries without even trying. Though she couldn't complain too much since the git wasn't making her pay for her room, now that he knew Luna was there.

Knocking on her door was still another matter. Sure, Hermione now had Draco to accompany her to Italy, but Luna was bound to listen to her more than the blonde. She felt that this was more her task than his, and that rested heavily in her mind as they stood outside the door. Apparently though, she contemplated things for too long, and he reached up and knocked on the door himself. She looked up and glared at him, but the door opened too quickly for her to reply.

Luna peered through the other side, giving both her guests an odd look. Her head peered from one to the other, as though trying to decide just what she was looking at.

"What are you doing here?"

"I-we've come to bring you home," Hermione said, chancing her sentence when the blond glared her way. "You're missing a lot of work, and everyone is worried about you-"

"They shouldn't be," she said flatly. "I've found Italy quite remarkable."

Hermione exchanged a glance with Draco, the both of them getting a bad feeling about that. "What do you mean?"

The blonde girl looked between them one last time before stepping back. "You should come in."

They filed into the beautiful hotel room, Draco admiring the workmanship of the rooms in his establishment with a smirk. It was Hermione that noticed the fourth occupant first, the laid back figure of a man watching the new arrivals with guarded eyes.

"Who's this?" The blonde glanced up, raising an eyebrow at the other man as Luna went to sit at his side. They both got the same thought in their minds, directly before she began to speak.

"This is Alessio," she began, as the man's arm came to snake around her waist, "My boyfriend."

* * *

"Well, everything is fucked," Hermione said later as they returned to Malfoy's Italian summer home, one which she was not entirely comfortable staying at. He demanded she stay with him, but why? As far as she knew, they were hardly tolerating one another- unless alcohol was involved, of course.

"You think?" He dropped his cloak onto a nearby sofa, and almost immediately a house elf appeared to take the garment away. She could only roll her eyes at that.

"She's completely smitten with that man, despite the fact that she's only known him for five days." The brunette sat down on a different piece of furniture, reaching up to rub her temples. "It's foolish for her to be jumping into bed with him already."

Draco just shrugged. "Hell Hermione, don't worry so bloody much about him, whatever they have isn't real." He sat down on the same sofa he had tossed his cloak on, his demur far more composed than her own just then.

"What do you mean?"

"She was hurt by Potter, so obviously she came here in a vulnerable state. That guy Alessio probably picked up on that; vulnerable women are easier to persuade to sleep with you." He ignored her disapproving look. "My point is he's probably just using her. Five days is certainly not something to base a relationship on, and I'm still willing to bet that my assumption of the man is correct. She fell from one careless man to another."

Her eyes flashed. "See, you don't think he's that wonderful either! We should've stayed longer and have convinced her to leave him."

The blonde laughed. "In front of him? Oh Granger, that would only cause more issues."

"Why?"

"Well, it would be like a girl attempting to steal someone's boyfriend right in front of them. It isn't done, and it usually doesn't work to well. If you want to drag poor Lovegood all the way back to Britain to be hurt by Potter again, you best get her out of Alessio's clutches first."

She glanced away, unwilling to admit that Harry was a complete bastard to the girl. "He wouldn't hurt her again," she feebly argued quietly. "I wouldn't let him."

* * *

She refused to let Luna's unbalanced emotions get the best of her friend. The next morning she set out before Malfoy awoke, leaving a note behind for him to figure out where she was. She had set up an early lunch with the girl, hoping that she would be more successful in convincing her to leave Alessio and come back to Britain with her if she followed Malfoy's damn advice and attempted to do so without any of the men present.

Less people hopefully meant less complications.

Arriving at a charming little café, she waited for the girl to arrive and sincerely hoped this place would have some waiters that spoke English. She had neglected asking Malfoy anything- even the night before- because she didn't want him deciding to come along like he normally did. She wanted to make this as easy as possible.

While waiting for Luna, she searched the menu. Everything looked splendid, and she began flipping pages so she would have plenty of time to pick the perfect thing. Hell, she was in Italy- she deserved the right to have some extraordinary food.

"Hermione!" The voice stopped her cold, letting her eyes freeze on the next description of a meal. This couldn't be happening; he couldn't be here.

She spun around to face the man. Her heart fell as she could no longer ignore who she already knew it to be. "Harry," she said, her voice slightly shaking. Damn it, he would ruin everything!

He grinned. "Hermione! I'm glad I found you. Ron told me that you had disappeared to Italy looking for Luna- though I get the odd feeling he wasn't supposed to- and I knew I needed to follow. I know you said stay back in England, but I just couldn't! It's my fault, and I knew I had to come and try to correct things-"

"No," she said, standing up a bit too fast. People at the surrounding tables glanced their way, and a waiter came to see what was going on. Turning away from the raven-haired boy for a moment, she shrugged sheepishly at this man's curious gaze and held up an index finger, indicating that they would need a moment since she wasn't sure if he spoke English. Without another word, she snatched Harry's hand up and hauled him away, ignoring the shy waves sent their way as people finally realized just who he was.

She pulled him into a nearby hall, away from the majority of the people. "What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"I told you, I've come to speak to Luna. I told you the same thing a few days ago."

"No, you can't! Harry, trust me; if the two of you start having a conversation things will only be more complicated. Let me talk to her and get her back to Britain, and once there she can choose whether or not to talk to you, like I pointed out before."

His expression hardened. "So you get to decide when I can speak to my own friend?"

"Harry, you haven't treated her like a friend- or anything else really- in a long time. Don't start trying to play a pity card, because I won't take the bait. Go back to your hotel and I'll owl you with how things go."

"No," he replied stubbornly, "I need to be here as well."

"You're not listening to me one bit-"

He cut her off, placing a finger to her lips. Her cheeks reddened in irritation, and she threw his hand off, ready to say something when another voice spoke. "You called me here to speak to him?"

Spinning again, she noticed Luna. The blonde girl stood before them- her pale skin tanned a bit by the sun- with her arms crossed. Curious eyes danced between the pair, as though searching for her answer there.

"Not at all," Hermione rushed out quickly. "Look, Luna, Harry isn't supposed to be here. He showed up on his own-"

"Sounds convenient," she remarked.

"It's true," he argued, glancing away. "I was looking around for you, but I passed this outdoor café and saw Hermione, I just had to go talk to her. At first I didn't know she was waiting for you, but-"

"You've never cared if someone is waiting on me before," the blonde said quietly. "Actually, you have pulled me away from dates before because of your own problems."

He glanced down. "I know-"

"So why should I listen to you, even if you followed me to another country. That could just be guilt Harry; it's not that hard for us to go to different countries, not like muggles. You could spit out a bunch of fake apologies and go home in a day."

The boy looked back up at her. "I know," he said quietly, "But I won't. How do you know that's what I'm going to do if you haven't even listened to me yet?"

"Because, I've been dealing with you and your staggered relationship with Ginny for a long time; you have never once thought about me as more than an object to use to make her jealous." She fidgeted, moving the strap of her purse. "You hardly speak to me, even when you have problems. I've finally come to realize I will never exist as more than a sex object to you; something to take out your frustrations on."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is Harry," Hermione sighed, looking between the two. "Everyone sees it except you, because you don't want to accept the truth of your actions."

He glances away. "Luna… I never… I didn't mean to-"

"Whether you meant to or not Harry isn't the point. You've been ignoring me for ages, and I got tired of waiting for you. I got tired of standing around while you ran back to Ginny, who won't give you the time of day half the time." She shook her head. "It hurt me too much, but now I don't have to worry about you anymore."

His eyes narrowed, and Hermione felt a headache coming on, hoping beyond hope that she wasn't going to bring up her new Italian boy toy. "What does that mean?"

The blonde girl shrugged. "I got tired of sitting in my house all alone with no one to hold me. I decided it was time to do something for me, and I when I came here I had only the desire to forget about you. But then I meant Alessio, and I have never been happier."

_Oh Merlin Luna! Why are you telling him this now of all times? _Hermione bit her lip. _I suppose it is better though that you aren't falling right into him. At least you know when someone isn't the best for you, but neither is Allesio. _

Harry's shoulder's dropped. "You found someone here?"

"Yes. Although you have obviously never seen me as much some people really see something in me. Seamus did, and so does Alessio. I'm not going to let you hurt my heart anymore."

"I never was!"

"Not from what you know," she huffed. Glancing away, she met eyes with Hermione. "We have a lot to talk about- like why he is here. Can we possibly have that lunch now?"

Before she could have a chance to reply, Harry jumped right in. "Why don't I have lunch with you Luna? It'll give us a chance to talk."

"Hardly. I don't want to speak with you anymore at this time Harry Potter."

"But then we can get everything finished really quick. Just let me talk to you, hear me out. I'll tell you everything I can, and you can decide whether or not to believe me."

Hermione rolled her eyes, thinking this plan was ridiculous. But Luna cocked her head, staring him straight on. "I suppose that will work. And you can listen to me as well. Maybe you'll finally show some concern for how you have treated me."

He nodded- just once- before she turned and walked back into the main part of the restaurant. Harry sighed and moved to follow her, but Hermione placed a hand on his chest.

"I told you to stay in London," she said sadly. "You might be ruining everything now. I doubt she wants to really listen with an open mind."

"I know," he said, brushing her hand off. "Where are you staying? I'll floo you later, let you know what happened."

Her eyebrows shot up. "What? You think I'm going to leave you in there to talk to her alone?"

He nodded. "If you're around her attention will not be solely on me, and I have a better chance of getting her to listen if all her focus is on me. I have to convince her to give me another chance."

Hermione sighed, closing her eyes. Between the complications with Ginny, Blaise, Harry Luna and now Alessio, she wasn't sure if second chances were worth anything. They were all cheating each other one way or another. "I'm not sure any of you deserve that."

He blinked. "Any of us?"

"Never mind," she remarked, rolling her eyes. "I'm just thinking out loud. I'll leave you be, but mark my words Harry if you hurt her again I will make your life difficult. This is your last chance in my book; no more playing these games."

He boy nodded once, before enveloping her in a hug. "Thank you," he whispered, keeping it brief. "But you never told me where you are staying."

She nearly cringed. _I doubt telling him I'm staying at Draco's is a good idea. _"Give me your floo," she said quickly, glancing back in. She could see Luna sitting at a table, looking irritated that things were taking so long. "I'll get ahold of you later."

"But-"

"Do you really want to keep her waiting?

He relented, shaking his head. "No, she's already not willing to listen. Do you have something to write on?"

"Write it on a napkin, I have to get my purse." He nodded, and she followed the boy back to the table Luna had thankfully located, Hermione's enormous purse indicating where she had been sitting. He jolted down an address the girl completely ignored and handed it to the brunette, who bowed out quickly. Her mind screamed at her that this was a foolish choice, but she couldn't quite listen to it. She wanted things to work out between Harry and Luna, but with all the variables she had little hope of that.

Getting outside of the establishment entirely, she took a deep breath. Things were complicated, and if she went back to Malfoy's place now it would seem odd, since she indicated that she would be gone many hours. And aside from that, she was in Italy and could use the additional time to look around the city. It brought a smile to her face as she considered the historic places Malfoy had vaguely described last night before they went to sleep, and the fact that she could now go look at them.

Crossing the road, she headed first to another café. Her plans were rudely interrupted however when she noted who was sitting in the front, drinking a cup of coffee.

"Draco, what are you doing here?"

He smirked at her. "I read your note this morning, and decided to come and see how things went. I nearly got up when Potter appeared."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Why?"

Draco shrugged, finishing his glass. Plopping it on the nearby table, he stood. "Because the git's voice could carry all the way over here. I think he may have noticed me, but I'm not sure. So why aren't you over there keeping the peace?"

"Harry wanted to talk to her; this is his last chance."

Scoffing, he looked past her. "I would think that you of all people would say no. You know how his actions affect Looney better than I, but even I know that she doesn't take things lightly."

"I never said that," she replied. "But he did give me the address to the hotel he must be staying at, so I'll floo him later and yell at him then."

"I would hope so."

She nodded, changing plans in her mind. Draco may have been a smart student in school, but there was no way he would want to go look at historical places. She would have to do that later. "Let's get back to your beach house," she said, glancing at the sky. Her early lunch had now fallen on the noon hour, and it was getting hot.

Malfoy scoffed. "You're in Italy, and you want to spend the whole time in a beach house? You're crazy." He grabbed her hand, and began pulling her down the street. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

He glanced back at her and grinned. "To the beach."


	9. Always Wet

**A/n:** I made this chapter short to really focus on Hermione and Draco. However, the chapter seems a little bipolar, so just a warning! We'll see what you guys think. Thanks to my beta **Tessa Cresswell**!

* * *

To Hermione, going to the beach with Malfoy was almost comical. Sure, they didn't bother returning to his home to get swimwear, but nonetheless, his ridiculously pale skin glowed in the sun against the pale beach. He was so pale in fact that he almost looked like the sand. It was such a contrast to all the tan or olive skinned people neighboring around the beach.

That didn't make his body any less defined though. The git didn't know what being self-conscious felt like, and almost immediately after they hit the beach, he stripped off his shirt and cast a spell to protect himself from the sun- one Hermione quickly copied- and then he grinned at every female that looked his way.

It was sickening.

"Can you at least pretend that getting all these looks is startling for you?" she snapped at some point, tired of watching him parade around. He looked away from a pretty girl that could've easily been related to Blaise, and grinned at her.

"Why would I do that? Then I would be lying." Carelessly, he threw an arm over her stiff shoulders and she barely concealed a gasp about his sudden physical openness towards her. The female from a moment ago turned and stomped off, probably irritated that her skin bearing bikini couldn't keep the blonde's attention. Well, that made her feel a bit better.

"At least your ego would stop growing," she muttered. "Honestly, everyone gawks at you like you're some god, and in actuality you're a sniveling spoiled brat who can't-"

"I resent that comment," he said, though his tone remained light. "I'm a filthy rich playboy Granger, you must get this straight."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, lucky me then! The playboy decided to look my way for a minute."

"You are lucky," he replied, pulling her closer as they walked along the sand. She glanced at him through the corner of her eyes, watching him wink at her.

"You're acting funny today," she said, shielding her eyes with her hand. "You're acting… laid back."

"I'm always laid back."

"No, usually you're cold, looking to get a quick lay, or being a whiny bitch-"

"I'm not a girl Granger," he retorted.

"I'm just telling you what I see. You have so many different sides of you it's a wonder that anyone really knows you." She paused at that, causing his arm to slide and hit her a bit as he tried to continue on. He waited, thinking it was going to be short, but when she did not resume walking he turned and stood in front of her, cocking an eyebrow as he waited to hear what she would say. The waves came up and caught their feet, and vaguely he wondered why she was wandering across the beach in those high wedges. Women.

"Does anyone know the real you Malfoy?" she asked, all lightness gone from her tone. The topic had turned serious suddenly, and he didn't appreciate how all the focus was now on him.

"Of course! Blaise knows me."

"Blaise knows the side of you that likes to pretend to be a relationship god and talks about being a playboy," she remarked, going out on him. "I've seen a compassionate side of you, especially when the same bloke scared me. Around Harry you're rude, and Luna you're careful. It just makes me wonder what kind of person you are when it call slides together, and all your conflicted personalities have to work together to consist of one person."

"My emotions and sides are fused every day. I'm standing right here, right now, as one person. My mood isn't flipping from angry to seductive or guarded, so I'm not quite sure what you expect from me Hermione. I'm not an emotional mess you know."

The girl nodded slowly, taking a step closer in what he had deemed to be horrendous beach footwear. "You're right; if you were a broken emotional mess you never would've made the suggestion for us to get involved in other people's lives. I'm not saying your unbalanced, I'm saying you're good at wearing a mask. You come across as whoever you wish to be portrayed as."

"Where is this going Granger?" he asked, narrowing his eyes now.

She glanced down a moment, breaking their nearly consistent eye contact the last minute. Her eyes fell to his lips, then his naked chest, and a slight blush crept to her cheeks as they snapped back up to meet his grey eyes again. "Who do you think you are Draco? Which side of you is real, and which ones are the masks you use to approach others?"

Her question threw him, and for many moments he was quiet. Then without warning, he took a final step forward and grabbed her chin, tilting her face up to meet his own. He did not hesitate as he leaned down and pressed his lips tightly against hers, demanding the kiss. She responded after a moment, kissing him back as viciously as he was attaching her.

The sinking sand pushed off balance, neither of them realized they were leaning to the side until they were falling, crashing into the water near the shore. Gasping they parted to resurface, startled by their own actions. A few people nearby turned to see what was happening, but two people falling into the water and surfacing again really wasn't that concerning.

Hermione gasped as they got out of the water, stumbling into the sand on the fucking wedges she had worn to look nice for her now canceled lunch. She rolled on her back, lifting both legs to pull the shoes off and toss them aside, taking deep breaths. Draco sat down beside her, shaking the water out of his hair.

They sat in silence for many moments, the sand caking itself to their damp bodies. They had sat just above the waves, looking anywhere but each other. It was the blonde that eventually broke the silence, heaving a great sigh.

"I think you can answer your own bloody question now Hermione. Who do you think I am? I'm sure our definitions will be close, if not the same now."

She wanted to ask what that meant, but he didn't give her time. He was up and walking again before she could get anything out, and instead of following him she lay there in the sand, letting the sun warm her. She knew the way to his floo, and that would be just fine. For now, she wanted time alone to think and dry.

* * *

Hermione returned to Draco's summer home close to four in the afternoon, her clothes crinkled and her hair dry but uncontrollable. Sand lived caked on her skin now, and as she threw the damned shoes into her room, she noted how uncomfortable it was to walk. Lying on the sand damp for an hour was a horrible idea.

It did give her time to think however, and that was what she originally wanted. She needed to think about the blonde and his confusing questions, even if she really didn't want to. Now though she had her answer, and after a much needed shower she would seek him out. She just couldn't stand being covered in sand anymore.

At least she was motivated to find him, and the shower flew by. Without bothering to dry her hair, she stepped out of her bedroom and went in search of him. He hadn't been in the living room upon her arrival, and by glancing out the extravagant windows she knew he was not outside. His room lay just down the hall, and that was the next place she intended to search through.

Of course she found him there, hunched over some parchment with an owl by the window. She frowned at that, but entered into the room as he beckoned her, crossing her arms as she waited for him to finish. When he did, the letter went up in flames.

"I swear he is one of the most ridiculous, stupid men I have ever crossed paths with!" The blonde was up in an instant, storming to the fireplace in his room to discard the burning parchment. "He never learns!"

"What's the matter?" she asked, tilting her head. He seemed very angry, but why?

"Blaise," he spat, returning to his bed. "He complains in a fucking letter about your little red haired friend seeing other people, but he's probably seen the whole of British women at this point! Honestly, how do you rant in a letter about how much of a whore someone is if you declare that you've slept with three women since we departed from London?" He hung his head. "Zabini may as well be a lost cause."

She smiled slightly at his misfortune, thinking that he did look quite attractive with his hair hanging in his face like that. "Blaise has an enlarged ego and thinks that he can do whatever he pleases and Ginny will still come back to him; he needs a reality check, one which we could never have offered." She crossed her arms, looking down as well to see the small droplets of water her hair had left on the floor. "We really mucked things up by attempting to be relationship gods, didn't we?"

Draco chuckled and looked up at her, though she still looked at the floor. He had expected things to be very awkward between them since he kissed her just hours before, but there was nothing awkward about how they were conversing. Actually, he could not think beyond how attractive she looked just then with her wet hair and shorts.

"We only messed up some things Hermione."

Her head shot up, and she arched an eyebrow. "If we hadn't decided to spy on Ginny and Blaise that first night, maybe this would've worked. But we did, and it's bad. He hit on me when he believed I was another, and the retaliation just caused Ginny to be bolder with her actions. And I don't know, maybe it darkened her heart some more. I know she was joyless before things began happening, but now she's just downright cruel." The brunette chuckled. "Maybe she does deserve him then, Blaise. They're both fucked up people."

His eyes met hers. "We are too." When she arched her eyebrow up again, he beckoned for her to come and sit on the bed with him. As she walked over, she attempted to pull her hair back in a ponytail, but once she was in reach he curved his arms around her head and ripped the nylon band out again, letting her wet hair fall back around her face.

"I thought I might be kind and save some of your sheets from being drenched, but you've defeated that purpose," she laughed, smirking at him. He smirked back, playing with the band.

"You look better with it down Hermione, fuck the sheets. It makes you look free."

She blushed, and the awkwardness began setting in. Everything was fine when they were apart and unable to touch, but here in close proximity their legs were almost touching on the sheets. She could feel the heat rising slightly on her cheeks as she recalled his words, his kiss, and absentmindedly she played with the bedding.

"Who do you think I am?" he asked, catching her off guard. She looked up to meet his slate eyes again, the emotion behind them showing through for once. It was odd to look on at Malfoy without that guarded expression, but something about the openness of his face made her smile. Without the icy glare he was attractive, and she had gotten more and more used to that pleasant face of his as of late.

"You're yourself," she replied, causing him to arch an eyebrow this time. "You like to think your ideas are grand, your looks unmatched and you don't mind toying with people's minds for your own laughs. You like to play hard to get, even when you might not be interested at all. You're irritated easily, but beneath a cold exterior you do have a heart and it does feel for other people that suffer. That's why you agreed to speak to Luna, and why you root for her over Harry now, because you hated how he treated her." She smiled. "You're a complicated mess, but you're not the crude heartless complication that so many people peg you for. You have a heart, when you choose to let it shine through."

When she finished, it grew quiet again. Fear began eating at her as he remained stoic staring at her with those open eyes, but no words came out. Maybe she had offended him since she made him out to be so soft hearted, and that worried her He kissed her on the beach and expected her to get a message, but what if she had interpreted it wrong?

And then he smirked, letting his eyes roll skyward. "You have a funny way of interpreting things Hermione," he said, grabbing her hand. Her eyebrows shot up as he used his other hand to grab her waist, pulling her into him. Shyness was certainly something the blonde did not have about him, and he only proved her point as he dropped his head and kissed her hard for the second time that day.

They weren't standing this time, so there was no fear of falling and getting hurt. The last time she really didn't have much time to think about what his kiss did to her, but now she had plenty. They were the kind of kisses she figured only existed in those overdone romance movies she watched with her parents and muggle friends, the kind that make your toes tingle. And she wasn't one to believe that kisses could do that, but Merlin she wasn't going to shoot down the motion if Malfoy made her feel that way! She wrapped her arms around his neck, completely oblivious to anything else in that moment.

It was only when he pulled away that she noticed she had been starved of air, and as she gasped to regain her breath his mouth found a new target, latching onto the soft skin of her neck. The gasping turned to a soft moan, and again she became oblivious to everything else.

Only when his hands began exploring her did she come to her senses, and she finally pulled herself off of him. He let go without a protest, staring at her through hooded eyes as she stood and took a step or two back from the bed, holding her head.

"Merlin, what are we doing?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "We're kissing Granger, or at least we were. Would you kindly explain what got you so worried all of a sudden?"

Her expression hardened, and she glared at him. "Maybe when you started feeling me up!? Merlin Malfoy, I can't believe I let it get so far. Fuck Draco, you've only kissed me once before- this morning! Don't you think that's a little fast?"

He looked puzzled, and cocked his head to the side. "Well, I'm usually fast with women."

Hermione's eyes grew huge and she took a step back just as he realized his mistake. "I see," she snapped, spinning away.

"Hermione," he replied, following her out of the room. "That's not what I meant, you know it. You just said you understood who I was as a person-"

"Well, I guess I was wrong," she hissed, walking into the living room to grab some floo powder. He thought for a moment that she planned to leave, but instead she threw the dust in and called out an address, obviously attempting to have a conversation with someone. When no one picked up, she turned back furious.

"Harry's still out then," she grumbled, moving to move past him but he caught her arm. She didn't turn back, even when he hugged her.

"Look, that's not what I meant," he said quietly, breathing into her ear. "I'm usually fast with women because I only have one thing in mind, but with you it's different-" he gripped her tighter when she tried to squirm away "-because I do want something more, and that's not like me. I'm never attached to a girl for more than a week, but damnit Granger I'd like to keep you a hell of a lot longer."

She stopped squirming, obviously listening. He continued on, afraid that she should shut her mind to his words again and he'd never get to talk to her about what he meant.

"I wasn't trying to offend you; I'm just not good at this. I don't ever have emotions for other people; it's not me. I should've known that you wouldn't go far, and I shouldn't have tried. I'm sorry I did, but you're wrong if you think I'm going to sit here and beg you to forgive me. I'm a Malfoy, I don't beg." He let go, giving her the decision to stay and listen or shut him out now. He worried about what she would choose, but he certainly hoped it wouldn't be the latter.

She turned around, meeting his eyes. "What do you want from me then?"

"I'm not sure," he said quietly, reaching up to brush at her hair but she turned her head away, and he dropped his hand. "I want you, that's for damn sure, but how far? I'm not sure. I've never been one to b in relationships Hermione, I never was. The last person I had a long relationship with was Pansy Parkinson from fourth to fifth year. That's all, and that was ages ago. I'm not trained to know how to do any of this."

The brunette shook her head, but a small smile played at her lips. "Oh Merlin, you are as bad as Harry and Blaise, always making the wrong move. I swear, the war just destroyed all of your interpretations of how to handle a relationship." She reached out and grabbed his hand slowly.

"I'll give you a hint; it's not like this."

He smirked. "I gathered that at least. I know how to charm women into bed Hermione, not into my heart. It's an outside element I've never done much with."

The girl grinned, gripping his hand tighter. "Well then, maybe you'll have to let me teach you how to entrance a girl. I'll be certain to not mess up our relationship with my godlike ego." He chuckled at her words, glad that the girl wasn't being stiff about the mistake. That would've just been too much to handle on top of everyone else's relationships.

"So you agree to give me a chance to prove to you that I'm not who I once was, but that I'm also not the jerk I made myself out to be a moment ago?"

She smiled, standing on her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Indeed."

He swiveled his head quickly, catching her lips with his. "Excellent."

Hermione nodded, and grabbed the blonde's other hand, pulling him back towards his room. "Now, why were you screaming about Blaise again? I feel we should at least talk about that."

Draco scoffed. "Well, there's a way to kill the topic Hermione. Blaise, really? He isn't even in the same country as us; couldn't he wait a few minutes?"

"Well, the way I see it, if we get him to see his flaws things will level out. We can't possibly have a relationship with our friend's emotions already so unbalanced. Think about it- your friends would outlaw you for dating me anyways, and mine are very unlikely to want to deal with you when they are already having problems with their own relationships. They won't be open to listening to ours if that's the case."

He frowned. "So you're under the impression that we can only be in a relationship if everyone else is happy in their relationship? That's bullshit Hermione."

She held up her hands. "No! I'm just saying we should finish what we started and even things out before things get too serious between us. I mean, if things do get serious between us it will be awkward to hide the relationship, don't you think?"

"I suppose, but I don't get why it's such a big deal. Compared to how fucked up they all are with their relationships, we're pretty straight." He blinked, tilting his head. "If you can count the last five minutes as a relationship."

The girl smiled slightly at him. "I'm worrying too much too quickly, aren't I?"

He grabbed her face, kissing her cheek. "Yes, you are."


	10. Naked and Cheated

**A/n:** Okay, here's the newest chapter. We certainly only have one, maybe two chapters to go now. I'm not sure if the next will be the last, or if I'll write an epilogue. Some stories don't need epilogues, so it depends. Check the author's note in the next chapter to be sure! I really liked this chapter a lot because it did have some good aspects. For those who have been wondering though, I take back the possibility of lemons in this story. It just didn't fit in. Thanks to my beta **Tessa Cresswell**!

* * *

Although Hermione did floo Harry later as planned, she did not learn anything in specific about how his talk with Luna went. All she knew was that the blonde haired woman had agreed to return to London, if only because she had a job back there waiting for her. Again, Hermione couldn't get any specifics.

She visited Malfoy Manor again the day they returned to Britain. It had only been four days since she had agreed to chance a possibly horrific relationship with Draco, but so far the benefits were outweighing the possible issues. No, her friends still had no idea what was going on, but she honestly didn't care. Whatever was going on with Harry and Luna sat heavily in her mind, and she intended to discover where the two stood with each other before mentioning her relationship with a certain former Slytherin to her friends. As she had told Draco before, there were already enough complications with the puzzle.

He was kissing her when they arrived before she ever had the chance to utter a word. He had been doing that for days, kissing her just as much as they spoke. It was quite surreal to get used to, but she wasn't complaining. Despite the playboy background he could be very gentle with his kisses when he tried. She just needed to get it through her head that Draco would continue to kiss her whenever he pleased, no matter what she said.

Quickly, they ended up on the bed, Hermione sitting on his lap. He had quickly gotten it through his head that she did not like to rush anything, and had stopped trying to push her. Instead, he found he was quite content- at least, for now- with kissing the girl. Eventually he expected her to cave and let more happen, but for now he was happy.

Neither was prepared when the floo roared to life moments later, and instead of tossing her off his lap he gripped the woman tightly and held her in place, peering around her curvy form sitting on his lap to see who was being moronic enough to disturb their peace. Her nails digging into his shoulders gave him a good hint though at who it really was.

"Blaise, go away," he muttered, deciding it was time to ease her off his lap. She let go of him- glaring at him the entire time for keeping her there.

The blonde's friend paid him no mind and stepped out of the fireplace, dusting off his shoulders. "I need to speak with you Draco," he replied, giving the brunette a sideways look. "And apparently we have more to talk about than I thought."

Draco bit his lip. If Blaise didn't intrude on his home all the time he would have no idea that Hermione was there at all. The fact that the Italian believed he had a right to declare that they needed to talk about _anything_ was absurd and he had to work to keep from throwing crude words immediately at the misinformed man.

"You can wait; you were not invited here. If you have not gathered from the scarcity of replies I sent your way while in Italy, I have grown tired of your petty dilemmas with the Weasley girl because you do originate many of them. Now leave and I will floo you when I am not already occupied."

Beside him, Hermione felt her cheeks heat up. Shifting so she didn't feel quite so much like the Italian was following her every move, she spoke to her boyfriend, "It's alright Draco, I should be going and getting my things unpacked. Besides, I haven't gotten to speak with Luna at all since yesterday, and I _really _need to speak to her about her dates." Alessio came to mind, and she recalled the man's movie-star quality looks, but his horrid attitude. The one time she really spent in the man's presence all she learned was that he was very possessive and controlling. She couldn't stand him.

Blonde eyebrows shot up. "Nonsense," he snapped, turning to glare at Blaise again, "You shouldn't feel the urge to leave if you don't want to. _You_ were invited here."

She moved her eyes to indicate to Draco that Blaise really did look irritated, and stood. "No, that's fine, really. I have to get my things unpacked." Moving, she nearly bent in to kiss him but decided the idea was foolish at the last moment and turned away. But Draco- always the more daring of the two- pulled her back roughly by the hand and pulled her down, kissing her deeply in front of Zabini before he released.

"I'll floo you later," he said, and from the tone she suspected that he meant he would like to come over so they could speak- or kiss- some more.

She nodded in return, and quickly grabbed her things after a rushed goodbye. She didn't speak a word to Blaise, but that seemed to work out perfectly since the Italian seemed to be at an inner struggle with himself about whether or not to watch the curves of her body while she worked. When she did finally leave, she felt better.

Draco glared at his friend when she had gone. "Don't stare at her like that; she is not one of your games Zabini. You will do well to keep your distance with Hermione."

"I expected you would say something about my staring," he replied, sitting down in a chair nearby. "What with the embrace the two of you were in upon my arrival, I suspect that if the floo didn't make noise you would never have noticed my presence."

The blonde's expression did not ease up one bit. "Why are you here?"

A dark eyebrow shot up. "Why was she?"

"_She_ is none of your concern and it will serve you well to drop the topic."

"But Draco, have you lost your mind? She's a-"

The blonde was out of his seat before the Italian could finish his statement, wedging his wand so hard into the git's neck that the chair toppled over as he attempted to put space between his skin and the protruding object.

"_Don't_ finish that statement. If you want to be racist about what you saw, then you can get up and get the fuck out of my home right now. I won't stand for it Blaise, period."

From his position on the floor, Zabini blinked up at him many times. "I've never seen you so defensive Draco- about anyone."

He shrugged, stepping away. "Just don't bring it up again. Like I said, I won't tolerate it. Whom I date in my relationships is entirely my choice and I do not give a fuck if her blood is different from mine. It's genetics Blaise; her parents were muggles therefore she has to be a Mudblood. My parents are Pureblood's and therefore I had to be a Pureblood. But aside from a title there is no relevance to the words and I won't have you calling her such a degrading name in my house- or my presence."

Blaise looked surprised. "You were calling her a M- one of them not long ago. Such a drastic change in such a short time, don't you think?"

"No." He didn't offer more of an explanation, and when the blonde did move out of his friend's vision the visitor decided to pick himself- and his seat- up again. When he was resituated, he found that Draco still sat glaring his way. In all honesty, Blaise couldn't recall a time when Draco got so defensive about someone he brought home. Was there more to the story than a one night stand like the Italian suggested- like something happening in Italy? Perhaps he would have to try and find out, but for just then he didn't think he wanted to. He did come to the Manor with a different determination than asking Malfoy about his love life.

"It's Ginny-" the Italian began, ready to change topics. But the blonde sighed and held up a hand before he could utter anything more.

"I don't want to hear about your failing relationship. I don't care for it. There's always something amiss between you and that redhead, and although I did let my mind become far too full with the facts of your misguided relationship at some point, I'm finished with it now. Nothing will ever work out between the two of you until you can decide and agree to _both_ stop developing ridiculous, unneeded drama and quit flirting openly in front of each other. How many relationships do you really think thrive that way? Few and far, and yours is certainly not working this way. Unless you can convince her to stop cheating on each other, then you will never get anywhere and may as well drop the bitch for someone else; someone you're not going to drop every twenty minutes for someone new or maybe you just won't find anyone at all- I don't know Blaise! Quit fucking around and something good might happen."

It was quiet for a moment following the pale man's rant. Then, Blaise stood and brushed off his robes. "Interesting points," he drawled. "Perhaps I will think on them." He turned away, the blonde's words echoing in his head for the first time. It was bizarre, but as the man spewed bit after bit about loyalty and trust, he couldn't erase the second long image in his mind of Draco and Granger kissing, and the sense of trust that they appeared to embody in each other. Did the blonde speak from his own current experiences with Hermione, or was this honestly what he just saw through his own eyes? The Italian wasn't sure, but it put a sinking feeling in his stomach. Why could opposites like Granger and Draco work while people, who were similar, like he and Ginny, had so many problems? Suddenly he found that he was developing a major headache.

"You're leaving?" the blonde asked, surprised. He expected a long argument with minimal talking, not his opinion and a quick goodbye on Blaise's part. At that rate, Hermione could've stayed!

"I just realized I have something I really need to do," the Italian muttered, hurrying on to the floo. He grabbed some powder quickly, his mind spinning.

_Why do they work, when we don't last longer than a week? I don't ever remember feeling honestly loved by Ginny, just wanted. Is that the difference between our relationships? _

As Blaise made to leave Draco nearly told him to not blab to others about his relationship, but quickly changed his mind. Hermione may not want everyone to know, but he didn't see a problem with it. They didn't exchange another word as the Italian left, the space now empty aside from his unpacked luggage.

Sighing, the blonde placed his head in his hands. Not only was the drama far from over, but now he had to discuss this with Hermione. He didn't think Blaise and Ginny deserved any help at all anymore with their relationship and it was all up to the two of them, but that didn't excuse his need to talk. Flopping on the bed, he closed his eyes. Had she waited just ten minutes, she would still be there and they could resume their blissful kissing. But now he would have to floo her and probably inform her of what happened during the conversation, and he wasn't looking forward to it.

_I see why no one takes on the task of being a relationship god. It works if you're single and alone, but the second you get a relationship of your own the self-designated job suddenly becomes a burden. I mean, it ruined my time with Hermione after our trip. I doubt I'll be keeping this position much longer; I have my own relationship to work with now. _

* * *

A week passed and Blaise did not return to the Manor to be a pain. Hermione did get to see Luna, and their talk was pleasant enough. From what she could gather, the girl was still with Alessio, making things work from different countries. She thought that sounded like a ton of work to keep a relationship with someone she had only known a few weeks, but Luna did not care to hear those opinions from Hermione's mouth. Anything that even hinted towards dumping the attractive man went through one ear and went out her other. The topic was quickly dropped.

The brunette also ended up learning about Harry's participation in things. He seemed completely compelled to get Luna to want him again- an idea she refused to voice her opinion on whenever they spoke- and get her to drop the foreign man she currently dated. He didn't seem to like Alessio one bit, and it grinded on his nerves that when he finally did want Luna, want her in the same way she had always wanted him, that she wouldn't give him a second glance. Sometimes Hermione wondered if his opportunity had simply passed him up and if Luna was tired of letting her heart be dragged around. In all honesty Hermione couldn't blame her; she wouldn't wait up for someone who couldn't give her the time of day until now either.

After being informed of what little Blaise did actually say- including his racist comment- the girl began watching Ginny as well whenever she was around. She always had an unexplainable letter with her- one she would not share- which was paired with either a smile or frown, never consistently just one. Hermione wasn't entirely sure what that signaled to, but Draco did say one day that he had seen Blaise writing letters on occasion. They put two and two together and shared a smile. Perhaps he was making an effort.

Hermione was in her home one day waiting for Draco to arrive when her floo roared to life and she spun to greet him. It had been nearly a month since Italy, and they had progressed more in their physical relationship. She didn't give into him yet, but the thought was there. She just didn't prefer to sleep with a man unless she really believed that the relationship was going somewhere good. And with Draco she was beginning to get that exact fuzzy feeling in her stomach. It was a good sign.

However, the person stumbling out to throw her arms around her was not Draco at all. The blonde hair could be mistaken to be his, if it were perhaps shorter and not accompanied by a female form. Luan threw her arms around Hermione, causing the both of them to stumble and then flip over the back of the couch. Immediately she knew this conversation would be long, and obviously disrupt any plans with Draco again.

Thankfully, Blaise had been keeping his mouth shut about them so far, and as far as they knew, remained to be the only one to know the truth. So if Draco did arrive they could pass it off as merely conversing among friends (though of her many friends, Hermione believed that Luna knew the most about what her true interactions were with Malfoy) though it would discourage her idea to go ahead and finally sleep with the blonde. There went that plan for the day. It would be risky to attempt anything not because they might be discovered by Luna but because Hermione simply didn't know how long this meeting would last.

"Luna, what's wrong?" she asked, immediately clicking into her comforting friend mode. They straightened themselves out and Hermione brushed the girl's blonde locks back while folding her legs, thankful that she had not worn a skirt that day. "Are you alright?"

She shrugged at first, slowly calming herself down now that the brunette was spending the time to rub her back in soothing circles, attempting to calm her nerves. When she finally did speak, it took many shaky breaths before she could get out what she wanted.

"Alessio is cheating on me."

She held her tongue, refusing to point out that was something that was quite likely to happen from the start. A month long of conversing rarely through the floo channels was not enough to support an estranged relationship unless the people are really in love, and although she knew that this had been the path Luna's bizarre relationship was following she did feel a bit bad that the girl seemed so torn up about it.

"I'm sorry," she said at length when she couldn't think of anything suitable to say. How does one comfort someone when they are this distraught over something that would only end in tragedy? Unable to think of another way to deal with things, she continued on the same path she had been attempting to in her mind, trying to map a path of conversation that wouldn't make the girl cry louder. "How did you find this out?"

She wiggled out of her grip, whipping her eyes. "I was flooing him today, and just like the last few days he seemed really uncomfortable and distracted. Today when I flooed him a girl popped into the scene and told me they'd been sleeping together and that I needed to get over the delusion that something would happen between us." She scoffed, though it sounded more like a hurt choke. "I should've known that it was all a lie. Why would it be anything else?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, frowning. "Didn't you want to believe that he was good for you?"

The blonde threw her hands up. "But it _wasn't_! I wanted to be with Alessio more than anything, but for all the wrong reasons. He didn't really care for me as a person, just as something pretty to look at. I knew that from the start, yet I chose to ignore the truth." She sniffed. "Harry was right."

"Pardon?" Just then, the floo roared to life and Hermione turned around with a hopeless expression on her face the same time Luna did to see Draco walking out of the fireplace. He paused in his movements, raising an eyebrow at the pair.

"Am I interrupting?"

"Alessio cheated on me!" Luna blurted out, falling back against the cushions with a loud sigh. Out of the corner of his eye he pleaded with Hermione for some sort of explanation, but she gestured for him to leave and go to the bedroom. She doubted he would help one bit at that point.

"I'll just… go over here," he muttered, quickly removing himself from the conversation. He shot his girlfriend a look as he passed, letting her know that she would owe him an explanation later. That was something she wouldn't be looking forward to.

When he was gone, Hermione rubbed her friends shoulder again. "Now, what were you saying about Harry?"

She sat up and sniffed again, but her tears were gone. "When he found me in Italy and we spoke, he kept badgering me about being used. But I didn't want to listen to him, after all, he let Ginny use and abuse him for ages! I just didn't see how he could be so blind to his mistreatment yet pick up on mine so quickly. It didn't make sense, and I didn't want to accept it. I didn't want to even consider that Harry could be right on this one." She shrugged. "I just enjoyed feeling like someone cared about me, really, really cared."

"Your friends care," Hermione attempted, but the girl shot her a glance.

"That's not the same, and you know it. I wanted someone that would hold me when I cried and hug me, kiss me, and make me feel better than I ever have before. I wanted someone who really saw me, not saw through me like Harry always has. I let myself believe Alessio was that relic, simply because he had a way with words." She sighed, picking up her legs to wrap her arms around them. "I let myself be tricked."

"Everyone gets tricked; when things seem good you don't want to consider that there might be holes in the person's words, and that everything may be a delusion. You did what is natural Luna; you fell for an easy talking kind of guy. It's simple as that."

Luna shook her head. "Merlin, I'm stupid. I didn't have my wits about me." She tilted her head, glancing at Hermione again. "I want the kind of chemistry that you and Draco have."

Immediately, Hermione's cheeks colored. "What? Me and Draco? Are you-"

"You don't have to lie you know Hermione," she cut in, smiling softly. "I figured it out. His face dropped when he noticed me, and he attempted to hide those flowers by shrinking them."

She frowned. _There were flowers? _But if the girl saw flowers, then she knew something was up. She didn't exactly think lying would benefit her at that point, and she didn't want to drag the conversation out too terribly long. "Is it that obvious?"

Luna grinned through her tear streaked cheeks. "The flowers helped me figure it out, but yes, I would say it's obvious- when you're together. And, when you're apart too. I'm sure neither of you notice it, but you talk about each other constantly. I hear about it occasionally from you, but I think he just searches me out at work because I'll listen to him drone on about you through my lunch break. It's a cute sort of relationship Hermione. I don't understand why you try to hide it."

"You really think Harry and Ron- and the majority of Britain- would take the news kindly? There would be an uproar if people found out!"

She shrugged. "If you two keep acting the way you are, you'll never have to tell anyone. Everyone will figure it out for themselves." She stood, brushing at her eyes one last time. "I'll let you have your time together though, since I am sure that I have interrupted your time together."

"Oh Luna, you don't have to-"

She held up a hand. "It's okay Hermione, really. In fact, I think there is someone I need to go talk to. I'm starting to hear his words again."

The brunette frowned, though Harry popped into her mind at Luna's words. Still, she didn't want to voice it. "Who?" she asked as her friend hurried to the fireplace.

The blonde smiled back. "A friend."

* * *

The following morning Hermione woke up beside Draco. She didn't remember a lot of the night before, but perhaps that's because she was so hyped up on her own anticipation that she was delirious. She did remember speaking to Luna at some point, but the rest was a blur. The only other thing she remembered was sleeping with Draco, and his body working against her own to cause her to moan in pleasure. Yes, the night had been quite enjoyable.

It took a bit to untangle their naked bodies, but eventually she succeeded. When she began walking, it was obvious that there was more than a bit of soreness between her legs, but she didn't care. The adventures from last night made it totally worth it.

The girl was on her way to make some coffee for the both of them when she noticed something. Perched outside her window sat an owl, and immediately she let the creature in. It made its way to her kitchen table, and she followed behind before taking the letter attached. It seemed quite early for mail.

Flipping the card over, she read the short note scrawled there.

_Talking to you last night made me realize my own foolishness. I didn't ever realize that I was hurting myself more than even Harry by going through a relationship with Alessio, but now I do. I did some thinking after leaving your apartment- and Draco- and came to a conclusion. I've gone to find Harry and speak to him, _really_ speak to him, so don't wait up. Tell Malfoy I won't be at work today, because I will be otherwise occupied. I haven't the slightest idea yet if this is a good idea or not, but I figured I have to try. We have been playing around long enough, it's time Harry and I make up our minds. I will owl you this evening- or tomorrow- with news about what has come from all of this. Thanks for listening last night Hermione._

_~Luna_

A giant grin spread across the girl's features, and she couldn't contain her excitement. Fisting the letter in her hand she rushed back to her bedroom- completely forgetting about the bird- and jumped back into the warmth of her sheets, waking the naked form of her boyfriend immediately. He bolted up, looking alarmed, and she thought it was kind of cute.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked, attempting to rub the sleep from his eyes, but she only chuckled.

"It's going to be a good day Draco."

"It's too bloody early for it to be day yet. Go back to sleep."

She smiled again, sitting up to hug him. He embraced her back, still seeming puzzled. "No, it's going to be perfect. I think we may have finally done something right as relationship gods; we didn't meddle."


	11. Happily Ever After

**A/n:** Final chapter! There was going to be one more but as I wrote this I realized there wasn't a need. The last thing I wanted was to have the story drag on, and if I added anything additional to what is already there I think that would be the case. So here it is! Thanks so much for reading this and please leave a comment at the bottom. And yes, this chapter is shorter!

Thanks to my beta **Tessa Cresswell**! And thanks to my lovely requisite, **ChloeDracoMalfoy**!

* * *

**Epilogue**

* * *

"You're an arse!"

"But I'm your arse!"

Hermione rolled her eyes from her position in the kitchen. Draco stood at her side, attempting to steal away the bottle of whiskey she had been hiding from him for the past two hours. Although she had thought about opening the bottle and drinking the liquid since she retrieved it from the cabinet before he could, she had enough self-control to keep it shut. Drinking was not the answer here, and the sooner they learned that the better things would be.

Somehow, things had a way of working themselves out. The day after Luna's letter neither Hermione nor Draco heard from the majority of their friends for two weeks. At first the girl believed things had gone horribly wrong with Harry and Luna, but they learned overtime that was not the case. Luna still showed up to her job on a day-to-day basis, and everything got done hours before her shift ended, yet she clocked off. When they did actually discover that the girl worked harder to go and see Harry more, Hermione broke into a grin. Finally something was going right.

And the relationship had maintained itself over the past three months. If that was a surprise to anyone, it was Ginny. The insane girl continued to call on Hermione for the first weeks that the news got out, and every time she only inquired if Harry had dumped her friend yet. At one point, Ron went over and cut off Ginny's floo connection to Hermione's apartment so she could be left in peace. Never had she been so thankful to have him as a friend.

That didn't mean though that things went perfect for everyone. After using each other for so long Ginny and Blaise didn't know much about relationships outside the physical nature, and it was quite comical to watch the two actually try to hold a conversation that didn't consist of whispered foreplay. They looked uncomfortable now, sitting on the new couches Draco had purchased Hermione last month because he believed her own were too worn for even the dead to use. They were too extravagant for the space and the bookworm's conservative nature, but that didn't matter. They still looked nice, and they were comfortable.

"Don't eat that; it's horribly bad for you."

"Ginny, stop badgering me. I am perfectly capable of choosing my own meals!"

"Your meals are going to make you fat."

"Fat? You actually believe I can be fat? I'm not going to start being a bum just because I indulged on my food. Stop worrying so bloody much!"

"I'm just saying that if you were a bit more careful…"

Draco let the conversation trail off in his mind, shoving the bickering duo from his thoughts. They would be like that for Merlin knew how long, and he had better things to do than to sit there and listen. Turning his head, he waggled his eyes at Hermione and grabbed her hand to pull her down the hall towards the bedroom, but she slapped his hand playfully away. These were her guests and she couldn't just leave them to go and play with Draco in another room.

"Come on," he whispered, glancing at the couple. "They won't even notice."

"I'm sure they will," she argued. "Harry noticed earlier when you tried to get me to do the same thing."

He moved to step in behind her, pressing her lightly against the side of the counter as his lips kissed her neck. "Sorry, I can't help it. I haven't gotten to sleep with you since you got promoted."

She chuckled, drawing the other couples attention. "Well, I'll just have to make time for you then."

"As if that's hard for you to do," Ginny muttered beneath her breath. All eyes fell on her, and she just turned up her nose. It was no secret that she still held grudges against Hermione for conspiring for Harry to be with someone else the entire time, and she didn't do a very good job of hiding her new distaste for the brunette. And although she liked to pick on Hermione, she also liked to use her to talk to when she had her usual issues. It was annoying, but the brunette only occasionally brushed her off. The ginger had an ego bigger than even Draco- possibly- and it was a hard thing to work with. How Blaise got around that with his own large ego was beyond anything the newspapers could write. Draco just thought it was a miracle that they survived at all together.

But Hermione just smiled and ignored Ginny's comment, even as Blaise pinched her side and glared her way. He didn't like how his girlfriend rudely treated Hermione, especially after he himself made the mistake of talking bad about her in the presence of Malfoy. It was a mistake he would not make again.

The ginger leaned over and whispered something to him, before he rolled his eyes and stood. "I suppose we'll be going then," he snapped, shaking his head at Ginny. Three months did nothing to improve her attitude, and everyone was more than a bit surprised when Hermione actually invited Ginny and Blaise to dinner. The girl could try to be appreciative.

"So soon?" Draco mocked, and Hermione glanced over her shoulder to glare at him. Just because Ginny enjoyed being hostile did not mean they should be as well. "I mean, hope you come again."

Blaise rolled his eyes at the blonde's pathetic attempt at a charming goodbye, but didn't expect anything less. Their friendship was still a bit strained since he hadn't been the best around Hermione in the past, and since he now knew that the couple were serious together he knew better than to try anything on her again. After a few choppy goodbyes, the couple left.

"They took a lot longer to leave then Lovegood and Potter," Draco noted when the pair were finally alone. Only then did Hermione let herself be dragged down the hall, leaving the bottle behind now that Draco didn't feel the urge to drink to cope with the useless banter. He pulled her into the bedroom and slammed the door shut, moving to kiss her immediately but she gently held her back.

"Do you think things are going alright?" she asked, looking up at him. He groaned at her comment and sat on the bed beside her slowly, dropping his hands. This was not what he wanted to be doing.

"With us?"

"With the others."

"Hermione," he said, leaning in a bit towards her, "Stop worrying. We did our part; there is finally a bit of peace amongst the couples. Ginny has stopped whoring herself out, and Potter has stopped being neglectful. What else do you want? Everything can't be perfect, and it never will be. Just be satisfied that some of the issues were able to be resolved."

"But there are still so many issues," she argued.

He reached forward and cupped her cheek, letting her rest against the palm of his hand. "And those aren't for us to help with. Relationships always have ups and downs, and although we probably interfered more than we should've, we have done what we can. You have to let the natural balance of things work itself out amongst everyone, and not worry over it all. It's up to everyone else now to keep their own relationships going."

She laughed softly. "You were the one who was trying to get in the middle of relationships more than I in the beginning."

"You just hadn't fully warmed up to the idea to start," he replied, shrugging. She rolled her eyes, and lightly hit his shoulder again, like back in the kitchen. Arching an eyebrow, he decided to use that as a sign that the talking was over, and jumped on her, pushing her back against the bed where he could hungrily attack her with his lips. She kissed back just as fiercely.

"Now stop talking about other people's problems," he demanded as his kisses moved away from her lips to trail down her body. "It's not worth your worries, understood?"

Maybe if he hadn't been slowly undressing her, she could've come up with a decent response. But instead she only moaned, closing her eyes. He took that as a sign that the conversation was over, and smirked.

"I knew you would see it my way."

* * *

"This place is overly crowded," she muttered, squeezing into a booth beside Draco. It was the following day, and they had agreed to go to lunch with Harry and Luna- something that took a lot of persuasion on Hermione's part to even get the blonde to come. He wasn't overjoyed about having to spend two days in a row eating his meals with Potter, but he wouldn't be rude throughout the meal since Hermione had been so lovely and persuasive earlier. She was happy to be a girl in that moment.

"Why couldn't we have gone someplace less crowded?" he asked, looping an arm across her shoulders as people began glancing their way. They drew plenty of attention wherever they went now that they were known as a couple, and it wasn't just awestruck glances that met them as they walked down the streets. Eyes full of jealousy also watched them walk, continuously checking the expressions on their faces to see if perhaps this relationship was nothing but a lie. After all, they did seem extremely unlikely, what with their history. Some people thought it was fascinating that they got together, some horrifying.

"This was Luna's idea," Hermione replied, glancing around the place. A man winked in her direction and she rolled her eyes. He was just being a flirt, nothing more. She rarely got approached whenever Draco was nearby. Perhaps that was why he went everywhere with her nowadays.

"That explains things," he muttered. "This place is always crowded, and the food is bizarre."

She looked back at him and grinned. "That's because some of the food they serve is Muggle." He shivered, and she laughed.

Soon they were joined by Luna and Harry, both of who looked extremely happy. Malfoy still didn't understand exactly how they worked as a couple after all the issues they had together, but he seemed to be the only one with these thoughts. The newspapers thought they were perfect for each other, and printed just as many articles about them as they did Hermione and Draco themselves. Apparently the readers of the magazines like Witch Weekly just didn't have any love lives of their own, because all the issues that had anything to do with either couple sold like mad. But then, so did any of the copies that sold pieces dedicated to Ginny and Blaise, all of which were always about how long the couple could last, and how eligible Ginny and Blaise were for people seeking to date them when the couple did finally end things again. Those articles were sometimes more popular, just because everyone was always seeking a rich spouse, and both parties in that relationship were well off these days.

Lunch progressed as usual. Hermione and Luna talked and laughed, the boys eyed each other occasionally, and would join into the girl's conversation whenever possible to avoid having to converse with each other. It was still a strained affair between Draco and Harry to get along, but at least they weren't trying to duel each other in the restaurant. That had only happened once.

When the meal ended, Luna dragged Hermione off for a moment. "I wanted to say thank you," she began, looking around awkwardly. They were standing in the loo, the only place she could think of where people wouldn't be trying to pick up on their conversation to print into the papers later. "You know, for helping me realize that I really did want Harry in the end."

"You didn't need me for that," Hermione replied, tilting her head. "You always knew it, you just got hurt. If Draco treated me the way Harry treated you, I would've lost the desire to be with him too. But he's changing for the better, and I think you'll be very happy with the changes. He really does care about you."

"Yes," she said quietly, "It just took me running away from England for him to see it."

"I never said he picked up on things quickly," the brunette replied with a chuckle. But why are you thanking me now?"

She shrugged, then glanced down with a smile. "We're planning to move in together. We think it would be an excellent idea, although I think those bloody papers will print about a hundred articles on it before we even decide to do it."

"Probably. I'm happy for you!" She reached forward, hugging her friend tightly. "Don't let him be mean to you though, or neglectful. Keep Harry in line; he hasn't been in an actual relationship in ages."

"Neither have I," Luna reminded. "I just thought you would like to know."

"I did."

She smiled. "Should we go back out then? Draco's probably wondering about you."

"Yes, probably. He always wonders though."

* * *

Everyone expected things to travel downhill for the couples, but they didn't. Months continued to fly by, and before anyone knew what to say Hermione was living in Malfoy Manor.

Now_ that_ alarmed a couple thousand people. No one knew what to say to that, and the couple spent far too much time laughing at the articles printed about them, some of them going to ridiculous stretches such as supposing that she was enslaved. Draco went to those buildings the day after those articles were printed, and none appeared again.

They were sitting in their bedroom one night when she asked him. "Where do you see us going?"

He looked up at her from his side of the bed, where he had been reading over some papers. "Tomorrow?"

"No, in life. Where do you see us going in life?"

The blonde smiled at her, shutting the collection of papers. "I'm not sure. You're probably going to become the Minister of Magic before we hit thirty, and I'm going to probably build my business up even more to add to my surplus of wealth." He smirked when she laughed.

"And what about us?" she asked slowly, scooting closer. "Where do you see our relationship going?"

"Why are you asking? You act like you're worried about my response."

She shrugged. "I'm not worried, I'm just curious. It's unexpected that we would ever be together, yet this stands as the best relationship I've ever been in. But where do you see it going?"

The blonde leaned forward, kissing her softly. "I suppose I haven't given it too much thought. We're together, and that's what counts. I suppose I expected you to be mine forever."

Hermione looked surprised at that. "Forever is a long time."

"Yes, it is. But is it really that bad? I rather thought we were going strong."

"We are," she agreed. "I'm just not sure what you see for us in our future."

This time he grabbed her, pulling her towards him to kiss her hungrily. "I see you as my future love. You're in my life for a very long time in my mind."

She smiled, brushing his hair back. "And I see you as mine."

He leaned back down, kissing her again. As his collection of papers hit the floor and clothes fell away, he grinned to himself. He just so happened to have a very expensive ring hidden away for her, one that he intended to slide onto a specific finger very soon. And if she saw him as her future just as he saw her as his, then he was sure she wouldn't shoot his proposal down. He did intend to keep her in his life forever now, after all.

He wasn't about to let the best thing in his life disappear. Pulling back from a deep kiss, he whispered softly against her lips. "_I love you_."

* * *

_**~FIN~**_


End file.
